She's Grown On Me
by LaTashaMalfoy
Summary: "Do you think she knows I exist?" Ron asks, looking at the girl nose deep in her latest edition of the Quibbler sitting across the Great Hall next to none other than Lavender herself. Harry picked his head up in time to see Lavender sigh. "Yea mate," He answers, as if it weren't obvious, "I think she does."
1. Chapter 1

"Dance with me," Luna hums out as she put Ron's hand on her hip. He couldn't help but stare at her, the girl was mad wanting to dance here in the forbidden forest, in front what she called Threstrals. He, of course, didn't see them. She told him it was because he hadn't seen death, but he couldn't help but wonder what was really going through the girl's mind as she gazed at him blankly. "It will be rather fun."

"There's no music," He answered, looking around the clearing. He had never danced without music before, had only danced once before and he really didn't count that as dancing, seeing as how it was with Professor McGonagall.

"That's fine." Luna answered softly. Ron couldn't help but wonder what it was about the girl that held his interest. Maybe it was because she didn't find the things that Hermione and Ginny found so utterly disgusting, the way that Ron ate. The fact that, as Hermione had put it so bluntly, he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon, and yet, Luna loved him anyway for it. She embraced it with open arms as if that was simply what made Ron himself.

"We can't dance without music." Ron laughed, looking at her in shock.

"We can," Luna answers softly, placing her head on Ron's shoulder. He was nervous and could only hope Luna couldn't feel him shaking beneath her head. "Just close your eyes." She whispers into his ear. "The music, it surrounds us."

Ron couldn't help but doubt Luna, but did as he was told, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds around him. The crunching of the leaves was the first noise he heard. Quickly, his ears picked up the song that the birds were singing. The fairies resting in a local bush let off their high pitched squeals as they communicated amongst themselves, giving the music Ron was starting to hear a beautiful soprano touch. He tried to focus harder as he listened to the pitter patter of the squirrels playing in the trees, causing the occasional nut to fall down and crash onto the leaves as a bullfrog in the distance gave a familiar bass-like croak.

"I hear it!" Ron exclaimed, opening his eyes in shock. "I hear the music!"

Luna smiled a satisfied smile as she patted her hand on his back. "I told you." She whispers softly. "Now dance with me Ronald."

He couldn't explain what had overcome him as he danced with Luna exactly as Professor McGonagall had taught him.

"One two three. One two three. One two three." He whispers under his breath as he led Luna along their leaf covered dance floor. Picking her up, he spun her around as Viktor had done with Hermione, causing Luna to squeal out in delight.

"See," She laughed, stopping their dance as she looked out at the sun shining down through the tree line. "I told you. The music is in your head." She smiles, tossing a piece of meat from her satchel out into the sunlight.

Ron watched with curiosity as the meat disappeared, causing his eyes to go wide. "What the bloody hell was that!" He exclaims, unable to take his eyes off of the spot where the meat had disappeared.

"Why a threstral of course." Luna answers, as if Ron were supposed to have known that. "They really are quite gentle creatures. I wish I could show you one."

Ron nods, his eyes still wide as he stared at the spot on the ground. "Uh huh." He whimpers in fear.

"They do look rather odd though." She says, hoping she can explain them to him, since she couldn't show him. "They are oftentimes misunderstood." She says, thinking about it. "About like I would imagine you feel Ronald." She continues boldly.

"Misunderstood?" Ron asks, looking at the girl offended. "How am I misunderstood."

"Well," Luna answers, thinking about it as she threw another piece of meat out of her satchel. "Think about it. Being the youngest Weasley boy, I can see as to where your views don't get seen very much by others. Normally, they just see you as silly." Ron listened carefully as she continued. "And you really weren't the first at anything. Your brothers have all been in Quidditch or Prefects. I can see where it is hard." She says softly, "That makes you misunderstood to the world. To them you are just sloppy, inconsiderate Ronald."

Ron looked at the girl, the same girl who he had tried to deny his feelings for, her only being Looney Luna Lovegood. The same girl who he couldn't keep off of his mind. The way she looked at him, the way she smelt like that familiar smell of honeysuckle in the summer sun. Something about her just brought him closer to her, despite how much he tried to fight it. "And you?" He asked nervously, "How do you see me?"

"You are Ronald, I suppose." She answered. "You are great at Quidditch and nothing like any of your brothers." She continues, unsure of what to say. "You are extraordinarily average." She says, nodding her head with the term before tilting it slightly. "Your eyes lit up, what are you thinking?" She asked, confused.

"I…" Ron bit his tongue, knowing it was too soon to say it but he had been holding in the feeling and he couldn't any longer. "I love you Luna." He says softly, blushing at his own words.

"I know. It's nice isn't it?" Luna answers, taking his hand. It didn't seem like much but for Ron, in that single moment, it was enough. She didn't have to answer back that she loved him too. For Ron, it was nice simply knowing that she knew how he felt. He sighed as he looked out into the sunlight with her.

"How many of them are there?" He asked, thinking about the Threstrals that she was feeding.

"Three," She answered softly, looking at the empty field, "Two grown ones and a baby. He can barely walk, you know. He's just now getting good on his feet."

Ron stood there and thought about it. Everybody had to start walking at some point, just as every story had a beginning. Leaving Luna standing there in the field alone, Ron allowed himself to drift off deeper into his mind and think about their beginning and the way the story had played out.


	2. Expecto Patronum

Ron watched as Luna bit her bottom lip, focusing on trying to produce her Patronus. She didn't have the distant look in her eyes that she normally carried, the look that told everyone she was too far gone for saving. Instead, her lips were pressed tightly together, her eyes focusing on the memory Harry had told her to think of.

_"This is for the wrackspurts," Her mother whispered, brushing Luna's dirty blonde hair behind her ear. "Here, hold this." She whispered, placing her own wand behind Luna's ear as she poured the crushed snake fangs into the cauldron, causing a pop to occur as the smoke overflowed onto the table._

_"Will they come to it?" The six year old asked concerned as her eyes grew big while she watched the smoke fall out onto the table and floor.  
_

_"They should." Her mother answered innocently, "Quickly, put on your specrespecs."  
_

_Luna did as she was told, grabbing her glasses quickly and putting them on on her face. Before she knew it, she saw colorful gnats swarming over the cauldron. "I see them mum, I see them!" She squealed.  
_

_"Never let anyone tell you different Luna," Her mother whispered, kissing her forehead.  
_

Ron watched as the blue stream flew from her wand, forming the shape of a rabbit as it quickly hopped around the room. _If Luna can do it, _He thinks to himself, _so can I._ He tried focusing on his most fond memory, the Sorting Hat falling down over his face as he waited impatiently for the Sorting Hat to make it's decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" He heard the Sorting Hat yell out as the blue stream fell from his own wand towards the floor. For a split second, Ron had thought once again he had failed before his blue streak took the form of a Jack Russel Terrier. Quickly, it ran under another student's feet towards Luna, causing the student to trip and fall while Ron blushed. _Hopefully she didn't see that,_ He thinks to himself as she follows her rabbit around the room with her eyes, a beautiful look of shock on her face as she smiled.

"Okay everyone, we did really great." Harry says to the crowd standing in front of them, but Ron hadn't heard a word Harry had said as he stared at the group standing in front of them. He was too busy staring at the blonde in front of him, clapping her hands. The group broke away, everyone heading their own way towards the door except for Luna, who stood there and caught Ron looking at her. Quickly, Ron looks away as he walks towards the door.

"Ron!" Hermione hollers, "I am walking with Ginny back to the Common House." She tells him, causing Ron to wonder who he was supposed to walk with. Him and Hermione always walked together, everyone already had set partners.

"Umm..okay?" He answers, forcing a false smile. "That's umm...great."

"You can walk with me Ronald." Luna says from behind him. "I don't have anyone to walk with."

Softly, Ron looks down at his feet as he nods. "Thanks Hermione." He whispers under his breath, knowing Luna wouldn't hear him.  
Quietly, they walk out the door and towards the Great Hall for dinner instead of to their common rooms. "I can't believe that was my patronus." He growls to himself, wishing it had been something stronger, braver. Something like a bear or a lion. "A bloody dog."

"I think it fits you very well." Luna tells him, skipping down the hall beside him.

"How does a dog fit me?" Ron asks, staring at the girl who held a distant look in her eyes again. "It wasn't even a big dog."

"Well, think about it." She tells him distantly, "The Jack Russel is a very loyal dog. It's sturdy and tenacious. I like to think you are all of those things." With that, she smiles up at him.

Ron couldn't help but blush as he looked down at his feet. Luna thought he was loyal. It wasn't supposed to mean anything to him that she, of all people thought he was loyal but it did.

"Do you really think that?" Ron asked, looking at her.

"Well of course." She answers softly, "Why else would I say it?"

Ron laughed at the thought, knowing that she was right about that. "Okay," He answers, looking at the door to the Great Hall.

"Wait," He says, thinking about it. "How did you know that it was a Jack Russell?" As far as he knew, Luna had kept her eyes on the rabbit, trying to focus on keeping her Patronus a solid form.

"I saw him run towards me of course." Luna answers honestly, "The Jack Russell is rather fond of rabbits, you know. They chase them all over."

Ron thought about it, blushing slightly at the hidden meaning behind what she said. She couldn't be right. He couldn't be...falling for Luna Lovegood.

"Thank you for walking with me." She said quietly, looking at Ron one last time before walking over to the Ravenclaw table. "It really was rather fun talking to you. Maybe again some time."

Ron looked at the girl, trying to embrace her insanity. Her unique way of looking at everything. Suddenly he realized, the entire walk back to the Great Hall, he hadn't once thought of the war, of Lord Voldermort, of having to help Harry, or be anything more than just Ron Weasley. For once, he could just focus on being himself, a teenager, and he rather liked that.


	3. Internal Argument

Ron smirked a dreamy smirk as he watched Luna skip away, going over to the Ravenclaw table. Something about her made him want more. Made him want to go sit with her and see what else she had to say. That would look really good, he thinks to himself as he sighs, can't you just imagine what the twins would tell you if they knew you were falling for Looney Luna. Bloody Perfect.

Quickly, he snapped himself back to reality and walked over to the Gryffindor table, sitting across from Ginny and Hermione who were sitting together, giggling about something. Ron couldn't help but wonder if they had seen him smiling at Luna and were finding humor in the fact.

"What is so funny?" Ron asked, loading his plate with food.

Hermione looks at Ginny who gave her an evil glare causing shivers to even run down Ron's spine. "Nothing." She answers, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "It's nothing."

"Sure were doing a lot of giggling and laughing over nothing." He answers, hoping to get some kind of an answer out of Hermione. She couldn't keep secrets from him and Harry, not very well at least and Ron knew it.

"It was nothing Ronald." Hermione growled before glancing over at Dean subconsciously. Ron caught the glance, looking over at Dean himself.

"Surely you're not falling for-" Ron starts in, before getting another glare from Hermione.

"I said IT'S NOTHING RON!" Hermione barks again, causing Ron to return to his food and think to the conversation he had held with Luna only moments prior. _It's sturdy and tenacious. I think you are all of those things. _Sighing to himself, Ron took another bite of food. Sturdy and tenacious, huh? He thinks to himself.

"What does tenacious mean Hermione?" Ron asks, picking his head up once more.

"Why?" Hermione answered, wondering if it had any part of the bickering that had just taken place.

"Just wondering is all." Ron answers, looking at her. "Someone had told me a Jack Russell is a tenacious creature. I want to know what it means."

Hermione sighs as she looks at Ginny, knowing Ron wasn't going to let them finish their conversation here and that it would have to wait until they returned back to their dormitories. "Tenacious means that you are not quick to let go of anything or give up on anything." She says, thinking about it. "Now stop being tenacious about what me and Ginny are talking about."

"Fine, geez." Ron says, looking back down at his food. "You don't have to get all defensive about it."

Suddenly, one of the doors to the Great Hall open as Harry runs up to where Ron and Hermione were sitting. He had a wide grin on his face, telling them that something was up. "It happened." He says, looking at both of them. "I did it."

"You did what Harry?" Hermione asks, confused.

"I kissed her." He answers. "I kissed Cho."

"Come on." Hermione says, standing up. "Let's go talk in the Common Room. There shouldn't be anyone there right now." Quickly, Ron stands up grabbing a few more sausages before leaving the table and him and Harry walk out of the Great Hall at a faster than usual pace. Hermione follows behind them before turning around and looking at Ginny, whose heart looked like it had been broken. Forcing a smile, Hermione tries to give her friend comfort before walking out, closing the door behind her.

"Quid Agis," Harry calls out, the Fat Lady opening the door for them. All of them walking into the room, Ron plops down on the couch as Hermione sits next to him, Harry sitting down on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"So," Ron asks, staring at him. "How was it?"

"Wet," Harry answers, looking up confused. "I mean she was sorta crying."

Ron couldn't hold back his smile as he thought about it. "You're that bad mate?" He says smiling.

"I'm sure Harry's kiss was more than satisfactory." Hermione says, sticking up for Harry. Ron couldn't help but snicker, thinking of what it would have been like if he would have kissed Luna. She wouldn't have been crying. He could picture her now, tilting her head a little bit to the side as she told him 'That was lovely Ronald.' He stopped the thought right then and couldn't help but ask himself why he was thinking of kissing Luna. "Cho spends half her time crying nowadays."

"Figured a bit of snogging would cheer her up." Ron answers with a smile.

"Don't you understand how she must be feeling?" Hermione asks, once again causing Ron's thoughts to go back to Luna and what she would have been thinking if she was Cho in that situation as Hermione rambled on. 'It's sad really.' He imagined Luna's innocent voice saying. 'But little we can do about it now. We just have to move on I suppose. Fight back, that way no one else gets hurt.' He muted Hermione out, answering whenever she finally finished.

"One person couldn't feel all that, they'd explode." He answers.

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon." Hermione answers, causing Ron to look at Harry as he had been scolded. Harry smiles, causing a chain reaction as Ron snickered, unable to hold it back any more and Hermione burst out in laughter.

The trio sat up late into the night, talking and laughing. Ron couldn't help it as he occasionally let his mind drift off, thinking about Luna. You need to stop, he reminds himself, she is Luna for crying out loud.

He replayed the first conversation they had in his head while staring into the fire, listening to Hermione and Harry talk about the D.A. '_You went to the Yule Ball with Padma. She didn't enjoy it very much. She doesn't think you treated her very well because you didn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much.' _Was the feeling mutual? Did Luna have a thing for...the feeling couldn't be mutual, Ron reminded himself again, you don't like her. She is Luna. But what if she did? What if she did like him? Would she let him-

"Ronald!" Hermione yelled, interrupting his thoughts. "What ARE you thinking about? You have been staring at the fire for nearly ten minutes." Ron snapped himself back to reality, before answering Hermione.

"Dancing." Ron answers, not even thinking about his answer, "I was thinking about dancing."

"Dancing?" She asks with a smile, "Sometimes I swear Ron, the things that go through your mind."


	4. Fighting for Wrackspurts

It was difficult for Ron to focus on the holidays as the trio spent their Christmas sitting at 12 Gimmauld Place. He couldn't help but think back to the blonde that he had been trying to forget for the past week of holidays while Hermione carried on about how proud she was about the D.A. and Ginny smiled at the thought of her brothers finally allowing her to be a part of something. Ron never saw himself looking forward to returning to Hogwarts while Umbridge was there but he counted down the days until he finally got to return to the school, facing a whole new list of Educational Decrees which quickly dissolved his excitement.

It wasn't until March, a few months after they had returned that Ron had heard one of the Educational Decrees, catching his attention on his way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"ANY STUDENT FOUND IN POSSESSION OF THE MAGAZINE 'THE QUIBBLER' WILL BE EXPELLED." The woman's blood-curling voice announced throughout the castle as Ron walked up to the Gryffindor table.

"What the bloody hell is that about?" Ron asked, looking across the table at Harry and Hermione as he sat down, piling his plate with toast, eggs, and hotcakes.

"Harry thought it would be a good idea," Hermione answers, giving Harry a scolding look. "To give that wretched gossip-loving hound an interview telling her how Voldermort has returned." She looks back down at the book she was reading, "Luna's father had it posted in this month's edition of The Quibbler." She said with disappointment as she slid her book over to Ron who looked down.

There it was, The Quibbler resting inside her book, the story written plain as day. 'Harry Potter: A Legend or A Liar, The Truth Behind The Dark Lord's Return'. He looked up at Hermione in shock, who pointed back at the book where Ron continued to read.

"The legendary Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived, has not only claimed the return of the He Who Must Not Be Named, but has also agreed to give me, Rita Skeeter, an interview in regards to details on his return. Harry Potter claims that not only has he returned, but that we need to prepare ourselves for a Second Wizarding War and has put a name with these Death Eater faces." Ron looks from Harry to Hermione in shock before pushing the book back to Hermione in shock. How could Harry have not only done an interview with her, but when did he have the time to do it. Every time they left the castle, Harry had been with Ron and Hermione except... Ron looks up at Harry in shock.

"When I was practicing in Quidditch?" Ron asked, staring at him.

Harry couldn't help but shrug in response. "It's not exactly like I'm allowed to fly, is it?" Harry answered, slightly frustrated at the thought.

"I think it's brilliant." Luna answers softly as she sits down on the other side of Ron, causing him to tense up. He couldn't help but try to avoid looking at her, in fear that if he did, everyone else would see how he was starting to feel for her.

"Brilliant?" Hermione asked, looking at the girl with shock. "How is it brilliant?"

"Well," Luna answers with a distant look in her face. "Think about it Hermione. If Umbridge bans The Quibbler, it will only make the students want to read it more. They are going to wonder why she banned it. Then, they will see the truth."

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, not realizing on their own what Luna had said to be true.

"It can only help the D.A." She says softly before turning to Ron. "Is there something wrong Ronald?"

"Nothing." Ron answers nervously, "Nothing is wrong."

"That is true." Hermione says thinking about it. "If she banned it, it will be just as popular as those horrid Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"You're a genius, Luna." Ron says, now too excited at the thought to realize he was supposed to be ignoring her. Harry and Hermione both turn to look at Ron, wondering what in the world had gotten into him. "Well, I mean..." He started, trying to backtrack his words. "It would work out in our favor."

"Why thank you Ronald." Luna answers, a light smile covering her face in pleasure. "I do appreciate it."

A few hours later, as Ron, Harry, and Hermione left the castle and headed down towards Hagrid's Hut for Care of Magical Creatures, they couldn't help but stop as they faced the backs of a group of Slytherins, the familiar white hair of Draco Malfoy being in the center. Slowly, the trio walked closer, knowing something was up.

"Is it true," Malfoy laughed looking around at the crowd of smiling Slytherins before looking back at a cornered Luna Lovegood, "that your mother was as looney as you and accidentally killed herself?"

Ron felt as his ears turned red with fury as he pushed past the group of Slytherins, standing in front of Luna as her mouth opened to confirm Draco's beliefs. Pointing his wand in Malfoy's face, he glared at the prefect in front of him. "Leave her alone." He growled.

"Or what Weasley?" Malfoy snarled back. "Got yourself a girlfriend? What's she think of your one room shack? Plenty of room for the wrackliespurts and-"

"They are wrackspurts." Ron bit back in correction, not dropping his wand. "And she's not my girlfriend."

"Sure she's not." Malfoy answered, "Just as sane as your muggle-loving father. By the way, how is he doing? Can't keep his nose out of others affairs, going to get it taken off."

Ron couldn't hold it in anymore as he dropped his wand, tackling Malfoy at the stomach, knocking him onto the ground as he continuously threw punches at Malfoy, hitting him hard repeatedly. "You worthless son of a-" He hollered as he continued to hit Malfoy while Harry and Hermione tried to pull Ron off of the boy, Hermione remembering how good it had felt whenever she had finally gotten the chance to hit Malfoy herself for all the things he had said to her. Luna quickly picked up Ron's wand while Harry grabbed Ron by the arms.

"Come on mate," He told Ron as he pulled him back up onto his feet, "He isn't worth it."

Malfoy quickly stood up, checking his now-busted lip and pulling his hand away to see blood. "My father will hear about this." He snarls at Ron before storming off. "You and your crazy girlfriend. Come on you guys." He says, walking off with Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott quickly following behind him.

"I hope your happy." Pansy says, her annoying voice threatening revenge as she glared at Hermione and Luna.

"Drop it!" Hermione barks back, stepping forward, ready to fight as Ron tried to catch his breath and calm down so he could talk to Luna.

Snarling her pug-like nose Pansy walks off, chasing after her beloved Draco. Ron turns around as Luna hands him his wand.

"You dropped this." She says softly.

"Thanks," Ron answers, already calmer. "Why do you let them do that? Stick up for yourself."

"It's not his fault." Luna answers softly as she gazes at Ron. "Some people are born in black and white, others in shades of gray. People like us are simply filled with different colors. He is only doing as he knows. Thank you for defending me though." With that Luna walks off, skipping back up the hill towards the castle for her next class.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, looking at Ron as he continued to stare at Luna skipping off.

"I don't know mate," Ron answers honestly, not realizing until just then that he had stuck up for Luna in front of Harry and Hermione, exposing the crush he still wasn't sure he had. "She's in the D.A., I had to defend her."

"You had to defend her?" Hermione asks, questioning his reasoning. "Are you sure you don't like her?"

"No!" Ron barks, a bit too defensively. "I don't. I was just sticking up for a member of the D.A. Besides, what if I did? You have _Victor Krum._" He says, snarling his nose as if his name left a bitter taste in Ron's mouth. "Harry has Cho. Why can't I like someone, even if it is Luna." He says, storming off before turning around quickly on his heels, thinking about what he said. "It's not, just saying. What if!"


	5. The Opposite Sex

Ron stormed into the Gryffindor Common Room, trying to get away from Harry and Hermione. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He may as well have put his head on a platter the way he stuck up for Luna like that and he couldn't help but be furious about it. Furious with Harry and Hermione for questioning about it. Furious at Malfoy for picking on Luna. Furious with Luna for taking it. And now, furious with himself for not being able to get the girl out of his mind. _It was nothing, _Ron reminds himself, _You were only sticking up for her because she is a member of the D.A. There is nothing there. She is looney, off her rocker, and here you are trying to fall for her. _He couldn't help but ask himself why. How was this one girl, one who didn't even hardly talk to him, get him so tongue-tied, so confused.

'It's the wrackspurts.' Her innocent voice whispers into his ear. 'Whenever they enter your brain, they make everything confusing. It's not your fault.'

Staring at the fire, he tried to tell himself she was wrong. Maybe it wasn't the wrackspurts attacking his brain, maybe it was just a simple fact that he should come to terms with. Maybe he did like Luna Lovegood. There was no point in him denying it to himself anymore, he had been dealing with it for the past four months now and it was about time he just faced the music on the fact, although he was still unsure if he wanted anyone else to know.

Harry expelled the breath he'd been unknowingly holding in as he stared at the fat lady's portrait wondering exactly what he was going to say to Ron. Having stormed off in a fury after defending crazy Luna, Harry didn't really get the chance to ask him what it was about.

Bracing himself he said, "Scurvy Cur," and stepping through the portrait hole he gazed around the common room. Spotting Ron off to one side he waded through the other students and stepped up beside him. "Hey mate."

Ron picked his head up, breaking free of his thoughts of Luna and what this really was that he was feeling for her. "Hey," he answered, almost depressed as if Molly had told him his rat had died. He wished it were easier than this, to just be like, look I like her, but it wasn't. It was Looney Luna Lovegood and despite the fact that it was Ron feeling this way, it made it all the more difficult that it was her that he felt it for.

Dropping down beside Ron on the couch, Harry stared out the window wondering how to begin. He had a feeling that Ron did care for Luna and that his defending her earlier wasn't strictly on the basis of her being in the D.A. He had caught Ron glancing over at her in the Great Hall during meals and at some of their conjoined classes. "You know I don't think Hermione really meant anything when she asked about Luna earlier right? Sometimes for being the brightest witch of her age, she can be a bit...tactless."

Ron shrugged. "Don't matter really." He answers, trying to act unconcerned with the conversation as he wrung his hands. "I don't like her. She's not quite sane, really."

"I'm not saying you do. But I just want you to know that say if you did like her that it'd be ok with me. Might have to poke a little fun at you every once in awhile but I agree with what you said earlier. Not that I really have Cho or anything, we argue more now than anything, but if I did and Hermione has Krum I don't see why you should have someone you can be interested in. I'm sorry because I should have said something earlier when Hermione said it but I guess I wasn't thinking straight. I was...surprised you know?"

"Surprised?" Ron asks, looking at Harry boldly. "I stick up for you and Hermione all the time. Neville even, why should Luna, just because she is a little...off be any different?" He continued before looking up for a moment at Harry. "You really wouldn't mind...I mean I don't like her but if I did?"

"I wouldn't. I mean yea she's a little different but hey, aren't we all? I mean look at you, me, and Hermione. After some of the crazy stunts we've pulled Luna's probably more normal than all three of us combined, right?" Harry answers with a laugh. Ron couldn't argue the fact, Harry was right. They had done some pretty crazy things over the years, Ron sacrificing himself at life-size wizards' chess. Hermione accidently halfway turning herself into a cat. Even Harry had done some outrageous things, fighting a fire-breathing dragon singlehandedly. How much less sane could Luna be than that? I mean, sure they didn't make up magical creatures or anything like that but at the same time, they were far from normal. In a weird way, it made Ron feel better about liking her.

"Do you think she likes me mate? Not that I like her or anything," he repeats for the third time, "but do you think she likes me?"

"I don't know. But I do know that IF I liked someone like Gi-I mean Cho and I didn't know if they liked me or not then I would definitely try to find out. Of course I might try to be quiet about it somehow...just in case I was wrong or didn't want everyone giving me a hard time about it." Harry answers, thankful that he had caught his mistake in time before spilling Ginny's name to her brother. That would have wound up worse than their original argument, Harry reminds himself.

"Ugh," Ron moans, as if what Harry had said didn't make the situation any more difficult. So he could either tell Luna and her feel the same or tell Luna and her not, but he didn't see her being type to tell the whole school. Then again, he also didn't see him being the type to tell her how he felt. "What do you say?" Ron asks, looking at his best friend.

"About what mate? Wether or not you should go talk to her about it? I'm not exactly the one to be asking. Remember last year right before the yule ball? I said I'd rather face down another dragon than have to talk to a girl, AND that was just to get her to go to a stupid dance."

"I mean, what do you say when you do tell them you like them. I mean, you did kiss Cho after all." Ron reminds him. "I haven't even gotten that yet."

Harry scratched the stubble growing on his chin that he'd become fond of over the last few months thinking about Ron's question and how best to answer it. He knew little about himself and wasn't really sure that his and Cho's current...situation was the best to base one off of. "If things were perfect I would just walk up and say, 'Hey do you want to talk for a minute?' and if they do take them somewhere quiet and find out their interests and what you have in common. If you've got plenty enough to work with in that department then the conversations should come easy enough. Then when you feel you can talk to them about anything then you ask. What do you think you should say?" Harry asked interested for his own education and seeing if maybe he could use some of Ron's ideas on Cho as well.

Ron turned his head slightly. "That should work I suppose." He answers, "why do girls have to be so confusing." He sighs again.

Harry laughed out loud causing the rest of the Gryiffindor common room to turn and look at him causing his face to redden with embarrassment. "I have no idea. But you could say that some aren't so bad. Hermione is pretty easy to read."

"Speak for yourself." Ron answers, thinking about it. He didn't see anything easy to read about Hermione. She was always going on about something or talking about the newest thing she had to study, like she didn't know more than half the professors already. "Glad you can understand her."

"Really? I figured it's easy. Tell her some obscure piece of magic that you found nose deep in the library and she'll think you're a Saint. So what are you going to do about Luna? I mean what would you do if you did like her...that's what I meant." Harry asked sheepishly looking at the floor so as not to make Ron feel any worse about the situation he was already knee deep in.

Ron sighs. "I don't know mate." He answers, not even thinking about the fact that he was finally confessing how he felt about her to Harry. "I thought about just being straight forward with it."

Harry continued to rub his chin thoughtfully. "I don't have enough experience in this area to help you out mate. What about Bill or Charlie? The twins? I know they must have more experience than us. Course maybe your way will work better than any of theirs. Hell mate, you could be the first Weasley in history to actually understand women if you do it your way and it work. But hey, what do I know?"

"Yea," Ron laughs, thinking about it. "Like Hermione would say, I have to read a book to write one. Besides, I really don't want the twins knowing that I like Looney, Charlie don't know how to sweet talk anything but a fire-breathing dragon and Bill is still gone." He sighed, "I'm doomed."

Harry smiled and slapped Ron on the shoulder saying, "Cheer up mate. Could be worse. We could be cleaning out the forbidden forest of whatever Hagrid has infested it with recently. Right? Then where would we be?"

Ron smiled at Harry. "Harry, you are a bloody genius!" Ron hollered, "That's it, I'll meet her on the edge of the Forest and ask!"

"But wait, Ron that wasn't what I meant. Besides what if Hagrid has infested it with something lately? You know how he is. What if it's more spiders?" Harry asked concerned for Ron's life. He truly didn't want Ron to get eaten by anything.

Ron stared at him, his eyes wide with fear. "Wh...why does she have to love the forest so much? Wh...why not the lake?"

Harry laughed nervously. "Love conquers all mate. I'm sure you'll be fine. How do you plan on getting her down there anyways?" Harry asked trying to hide a smirk thinking about Ron and Luna meeting up secretly under the stars by the forest for a romantic evening. To be quite honest, he couldn't exactly see Ron being the romantic type but maybe Luna would bring that out in him.

Ron stared, thinking about it. "Maybe I'll ask her to show me an invisible horse." He answers, "Or something. Or I'll follow her when she goes down there. I don't know." He thought about it some more. "Maybe I'll walk back from the DA with her. Ask her what she thinks of me."

"Well good luck mate. No matter what happens I got your back. And if it doesn't work out with her I'm sure they'll be other girls out there. How about Lavender Brown? I hear she fancy's you so there's another route if it doesn't work out with Luna." Harry replied trying to be helpful but seeing the slightly glazed look in Ron's eyes that he pretty much thought it hopeless at this point.

Ron sighed again in defeat. "Thanks for that but I don't know that Lavender is my type. She seems...clingy." he answers, looking over at her. "But I will talk to her tomorrow morning." He says as he stands up and strechea. "Worst she can do is say no I suppose. Or hex me...she could hex me."


	6. Spur of the Moment

Ron stared down at his breakfast in fear. Today was the day. Today, after the D.A. meeting, he was going to walk with Luna back to their Common Rooms and tell her how he felt. He hadn't slept at all the night before, fearing that Luna didn't feel the same, that she only saw him as a friend, nothing more. He couldn't help but wonder if she did feel the same way. Why did Luna have to always be so hard to read? Luna, Ron laughs to himself, women in general were hard to read.

"Hey," Harry says, sitting down across from Ron. "You look deep in thought."

"I am going to tell her." Ron whimpers to his toast before looking up at Harry with genuine fear in his eyes. "I'm finally going to tell her."

"That's great." Harry answers before raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know." Ron answers, thinking about it. "What if she doesn't like me back? What if she laughs or worse...What if she says-"

"That's nice?" Harry interrupts. He didn't want to tell Ron this but that could very possibly be Luna's answer to him. A simple 'That's nice Ronald' and then skip off like he hadn't said anything more than how is your day. That was just the way that Luna worked.

"Exactly," Ron says, "I mean, I don't even know what to say if she says that. Well, thanks for the talk?" He sighed as he thought about it. "I mean, maybe I shouldn't tell her."

"I don't know about all that." Harry answers, "I mean, at least this way you will have it off your chest and if she don't feel the same, at least you put it out there on how you feel. I mean, what if she does feel the same way? And you will have no idea unless you tell her how you feel and she tells you how she feels." Harry looked over at the Ravenclaw table, Ron following his eyes until they are staring at the blonde haired girl with the spectrespecs on, looking around the Great Hall. "I mean, you know she won't be the first to tell you."

Ron nods, "You're right mate." He answers with confidence. "She's not going to come to me. By the way, where is Hermione?" He asks, looking around the room.

"Studying for O.W.L.S," Harry says, snarling his nose slightly, "According to her, she has a new study partner but I haven't been able to get a word out of her yet on who it is."

Ron softly nods, wondering who her study partner could possibly be. "It's not Ginny?" He asks, unsure of who else Hermione would be studying with. Softly Harry shook his head. He looked hurt so Ron left it at that and looked back down at his food.

Classes went on as usual. The entire time however, Ron was unable to focus. In potions, he nearly added snake skin instead of snake fangs and added one too many drops of dragon's blood, causing his cauldron to overflow with a black, foul-smelling smoke. Snape, who was just as on edge as everyone else about Umbridge's new daily rules, had stormed over to Ron's table and, covering his nose with one hand, caused the entire spell to disappear, leaving Ron with no potion whatsoever to turn in at the end of the class.

During his Charms class, Professor Flitwick had them practice the Flame-Freezing Charm. Ron stared at the flame, trying to focus on it before casting his spell. Instead of the flame on the candle dying down to a cool heat, similar to that of the spring sun on your face, his flame grew bigger, causing the entire candle to burst into flames at which time Hermione had to use Aguamenti to put it out before his entire desk caught on fire. Harry watched from a small distance, shaking his head as Ron looked at him, Ron shrugging his shoulders. Ron was normally good at his Charms class, causing Harry to blame Ron's usual expertise in the class to falter due to the fact that he was thinking about how he was going to confront Luna.

In his Transfiguration class, Ron and Harry stared at the snails on their desks. Professor McGonagall had warned the entire class that this was probably going to be on their O.W.L's and that they needed to prepare for it. That they had to make the snail disappear. Ron stared at Harry before looking back at his snail.

"I don't think I can do this." He whined as he stared at the snail leaving a trail of sludge across his desk behind it. "I can't focus enough to do this. I can't do this."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, "You've already screwed up Potions and Charms, surely you can't mess up Transfiguration too."

"I can't do this." Ron cried out, staring at the snail. "What if I kill it?"

"You're not going to kill it." Harry answers, staring at his own snail. "See?" He asked, pointing his wand at the snail and repeating the spell McGonagall had presented to them. His snail quickly disappeared. "It is that easy."

Ron nodded softly in fear before pointing his own wand at the snail and repeating the spell exactly as Harry had. His mind wasn't focused as he had said the spell, leaving the shell-less snail still scooting across the table. "I'm a failure." He whimpered, staring at the pathetic creature he could now call a slug.

After classes ended Ron sighed, thankful that the classes for the day were over with. As he walked alone towards the Room of Requirement, Ron held his breath, ready to tell Luna exactly how he felt for her. In his mind, he imagined himself, rushing in on a Hungarian Horntail and landing it near the lake, the wind beating down from it's wings causing ripples on the water.

"Luna." He called out, as he had pictured truly confessing his feelings for her, "Luna Lovegood." Quickly, he jumped off the dragon, wearing his Quidditch uniform and holding out a single red rose in his mouth. Dropping to a knee, he handed the rose to Luna.

"It's beautiful." He could hear her soft, innocent voice speak out as she gazed at the rose petals.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you." Ron answered, standing back up and pulling her close to him. "Be my girlfriend. Snog me in the halls. Make me the happiest man alive because I can't get you off my mind."

"Okay," Luna answers softly, kissing him fully on the lips. He watched as they kissed in front of the Hungarian Horntail as the sun set in the background, casting a beautiful orange over the lake.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?!" Hermione asked walking up beside him as he gazed off at the door leading to the Room of Requirement.

"Huh?!" Ron answers, Hermione having broken his deep concentration on the thought. "N...Nothing. It was nothing. Was thinking about...umm...about my slug."

"You mean you're snail that you turned into a slug?" She asked as they walked into the room.

"Yea," Ron answered, taking a deep gulp. "That one."

The D. A. meeting started off as usual. Harry and Hermione split everyone up into groups and had them work on the different things they had already learned to start off. Knowing that Ron was wanting to talk to Luna, Harry made sure to put him with the others working on their patronus'. Ron took a deep breath and walked over next to Luna. Softly, she turned her head smiling at him.

"Hello Ronald." She says, her voice sounding almost song-like. "And how are you today?"

Ron smiled lightly, the words unable to come out as he looked back at her. Instead he simply nodded his head before looking back at Harry, unsure of what to do. Harry, in response, simply moves his hands, as if to push Ron forward, and went back to teaching Neville how to do 'expelliamus'.

The training went well as Neville mastered Expelliamus, de-wanding Pavarti who looked at Harry in shock before running up to Neville and hugging him. They had been working so hard on getting the spell down, she couldn't help but be excited for him. Finally, Hermione walked up to Harry with a concerned look on her face.

"Harry," She asked, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Where is Cho?"

"I don't know," Harry answers, looking around and realizing for the first time that she was gone. Him and Cho had been arguing a lot lately, more than what he thought was normal for any woman, and when they weren't arguing she was crying over Cedric so he really hadn't noticed whenever she didn't show up for the D.A. meeting. "I guess she decided not to come."

"Don't you find that odd?" Hermione asked, looking at him as they heard a loud bang against the wall where the door normally stood as an exit.

"We've been discovered." Harry calls out, "Ron, take who you can out the side door and hurry."

Ron grabs Luna's hand, not even realizing it until he felt the warmth of her small palm against his. Stopping momentarily, he stared down at his hand in hers and kissed her abruptly on the lips. Ron felt his world spinning as he felt the softness of Luna's lips against his. They were light and gentle, even the feel of them was carefree and loving. It was the greatest thing he had ever felt in his life. Luna's eyes got wide with shock the second Ron's lips touched hers but she remained relaxed, allowing the kiss to fall freely onto her lips as she felt the wrackspurts in her tummy.

"Thank you Ronald." She says with a smile as he pulls away.

"Go," He says, pushing her out the door on the far left wall, closest to the girl's lavatory, before calling everyone else to follow. "Boys, sneak to your Common Rooms, the Great Hall, Courtyard, anywhere just get out. Girls, go to the library, lavatory, or Great Hall. Everyone, are you bloody crazy or do you want to get caught? Go! Go! Go!"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were the last three to run out of the Room of Requirement before Umbridge broke through, finding an empty room with her Inquisitorial Squad. "FIND THEM!" The trio hears her holler as they continue to run down the hall.

"I'm going to the library." Hermione tells them, "It will be no big deal if she finds me there. I can claim I'm studying and she can't argue it."

"Okay," Harry answers, "Sounds good. Be careful." Hermione nods back at him as she runs off. "So," Harry says, still running from Umbridge as they turn down a corridor. "How was it?"

"Bloody perfect!" Ron answers with a grin covering from ear to ear. "She even said thank you mate!"

"She said thank you for kissing her?" Harry asked, slightly confused by the thought.

"I think it's her way of saying that she likes me." Ron answers, "Because she didn't smack me afterwards either."

"Good thing." Harry answered, "Okay, I'll run right, you run left. I'll meet you at the Common Room."

Ron nods as he turns left, hoping that everyone got away safely but more-so than that, he hoped he had the opportunity to kiss Luna Lovegood again.


	7. Good Kisser

Ron couldn't believe it as he sat down at detention with the rest of the D.A. Dumbledore was gone, vanished to who-knows-where and his brothers, who had guided him through Hogwarts, were leaving. They wouldn't tell him what they were going to do, just that they now had "bigger plans than what Hogwarts had to offer" and that they "couldn't concern him with the details or else mum would kill them both." Sighing, he looks down at the paper and begins to write.

_I must not plan against the Ministry._

_I must not plan against the Ministry.  
_

_I must not plan against the Ministry.  
_

Shaking his left hand, Ron immediately started to feel the tinge from the special quill he had been assigned to use while Umbridge stood in the front of the Great Hall, having no one like Dumbledore to stop her from punishing the students as she deemed necessary. He couldn't help but curse under his breath at the old witch in front of him, wanting to hex her right now for what she was doing to the entire D.A, minus Cho Chang of course. _  
_

"I'm sorry Mr. Weasley," Umbridge said in the sweetest of voices, as if she were his best mate, hearing Ron's inaudible murmur from across the silent room. "Did you say something?"

"No" Ron answered, glaring up at her.

"No what, Mister Weasley?" She asked, expecting to hear some respect out of him.

"No ma'am." Ron answered again, fully frustrated with the entire situation. "I didn't say anything."

"Good," She answered before looking around the room. "You are the younger brother to those Weasley twins, aren't you?" She asked, causing Ron to blush, hoping he didn't get punished for them not being in detention.

"Yes ma'am." He said, looking down at the piece of parchment paper in front of him.

"Where are they at then?" She asked, touching the bottom of Ron's chin to make him look up and face her. "I do believe I sent out the memo to everyone today about detention and I don't appreciate children who misbehave."

Ron sat there and thought about it for a second. He truthfully had no idea where the twins were. Once again, they didn't notify him of their sneaky plans of attack, but he did know that Umbridge would do anything in her power to get that kind of information, even if it meant cutting her own throat. He thought quickly before coming up with a plan. He had to show Luna how he felt for her, since he couldn't flat out tell her and he didn't know if the kiss was enough.

"I'll tell you what I know." He said boldly, earning himself a death glare from Hermione and Ginny and a questioning look from Harry, who didn't even know himself what was going on. "But, I will only give it up under an agreement." Words spread throughout the detention hall like wild fire, the main ones being 'snitch' and 'traitor', but Ron tried his hardest to ignore them. He knew what he was doing.

"An agreement?" She asked, looking at him questioningly. "I don't see that you are in the place, Mister Weasley, to be making negotiations."

"Probably not," Ron answers, keeping his face stern. "But do you want to know where they are or not? I'll tell you, but let Luna out of detention."

Upon hearing her name, Luna quickly picked her head up from the parchment paper. She had found that detention was easier to deal with if she simply let her hand do the writing and her mind wander. It made the pain easier to deal with if she could, instead think about the baby Threstral hiding in the woods or her trips hunting for Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She looked up at Ron, seeing that both him and Umbridge were staring at her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked innocently, staring blankly back and forth between the two.

"Nothing dear," Umbridge answers sweetly, causing Ron to cringe in fear. "You may go." Luna couldn't help but stand up quickly and leave the room, but not before Ron saw the blood dripping from her hand where she had been forced to write the same set of lines that he had.

Hermione, shocked and confused, quickly glared at Harry, mouthing the words "Why Luna?" and Harry, feeling like it wasn't his place to say anything shook his head questioningly back at her.

"So tell me, where are your brothers?" Umbridge repeated once more.

"I don't know." Ron answered honestly, staring the woman in the eyes so she didn't call him a liar.

"I don't think you understand, Mister Weasley." Umbridge answered, "We came to an agreement. I would let Miss Lovegood go if-"

"If I told you what I knew." Ron answers blatantly. "And I did. I don't know where they are-"

Suddenly, a loud boom occurred outside the door, causing the entire class to turn around and stare at it. With another loud crash, the door plowed open, George and Fred flying in on their brooms. The room quickly filled up with bright colors and bangs as an explosion of fireworks went off, causing Luna to run back in to see what was going on. Ron and Harry laughed as the twins smiled to each other, dropping fireworks to explode in the room.

"That IS enough!" Umbridge barked, her toad-like face red with anger. "I WILL have order."

The twins looked at each other with a smile as the fireworks continued to go off throughout the room. They couldn't help but grin, saving their grand finale for last.

"Doubtful." They answer in unison, each of them throwing down a firecracker that quickly set off more fireworks everywhere as the main of the firecracker grew upward in lights, forming the head and body of a dragon. The dragon's head quickly turned around, looking at Umbridge like a piece of food ready to be devoured as she ran forward out of the room. Repeatedly, she turned around to see how close the dragon was behind her, only to get more frightened each time as she barely made it to the doors of the Great Hall before the dragon chomped down on her with a loud boom, leaving her looking charred and upset. The echo of the boom rang through the halls, causing a vibration along the walls. Right as Umbridge shivered from thinking the firework dragon was not only going to bite her, but possibly kill her even, over a hundred picture frames fell from the walls, leaving her standing in a circle of her shattered rules and regulations.

The twins flew out the doors of the Great Hall over Umbridge in a rush, causing all the D.A. students to follow them out into the courtyard of Hogwarts. Once again, they threw two fireworks up in the air before flying off into the sunset, leaving only a multi-colored W in the sky, standing for Weasley.

Ron stood there in the crowd with the biggest of grins on his face. He couldn't help but be proud of his brothers for what they did as he started to clap with everyone else for them. He felt a slight bump on his shoulder as someone pushed past him to get a better view, looking over to see it was Luna gazing up in awe at the W in the sky, a slight smile on her face.

After everyone started to fade out, walking back inside, Ron stood outside, waiting for Luna to turn around and stop looking where the W had once stood.

"That was very sweet of you Ronald." She says softly, not allowing her eyes to leave the sky.

"Yea well," Ron answers, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassed. "I kinda sorta like you Luna."

"That's nice." She answered, turning around. She looked deep into Ron's eyes, her own still holding a look of shock. "You can kiss me, you know." She said, as if it were obvious.

Ron didn't allow himself to think as he leaned forward slightly, his own lips touching her. They were just as soft as he remembered, just as soft and they tasted slightly like cherry lip balm. He held his breath as he held onto the moment before licking his lips, and opening his mouth slightly. Luna, quickly catching on, also deepened the kiss, their mouths exploring each other as Ron felt himself nearly raise off the ground in delight.

As they pulled away from each other slowly, Luna gazed past him again. "You really are a good kisser Ronald." She says with a smile before skipping off. Ron couldn't help but put his hand to his lips as he watched her skip away.

"She thinks..." He says, gazing off in the distance. "She thinks I'm a good kisser."


	8. To Save Sirius and Negotiate Nargles

It wasn't until Ron turned his back to Luna that he noticed Harry on the ground with Hermione kneeling next to him. Running over, he squatted next to his best mate in concern.

"What happened?" Ron asked, looking from a pale-face Harry to Hermione in fear. "What's going on?"

"They...have...Sirius." Harry answers, staring straight ahead as if he were looking through Ron. "In...Ministry."

"Who has Sirius?" Ron asked, looking down at Harry.

"He thinks Voldermort has Sirius in the Department of Mysteries. I told him it is only five in the afternoon, that if Voldermort was there, he would be noticed before he got to the Department of Mysteries." Hermione answers matter-of-factly.

"What if he snuck in?" Ron answered, thinking about it. "What if he used polyjuice to get in?"

"And snuck Sirius in too? Do you really think Sirius would go into the Ministry of Magic with Voldermort and risk everything to go back to Azkaban or worse?"

"We need to help him." Harry answered, causing the two to stop arguing and turn to look at him. "We need to help Sirius. He would help us."

"And how would you expect to get there, even if we could Harry?" Hermione asks, "It's not exactly like we can take our brooms and even if legally we could apparate, we can't from here."

"You could use floo powder." Ginny pipes in, walking up behind the trio causing them all to turn and stare at her.

"Yea Ginny, but you forget that Umbridge has all the chimneys monitored constantly. The moment the floo powder went in, she would know." Ron answers, glaring at his baby sister.

"And you forget RONALD," She smarts back, causing him to cringe at how she sounded like their mother. "That she doesn't have her own fireplace monitored. I can keep guard while you guys use the floo powder, it will be easy. I'll even ask _Luna_" She says, her voice dreamy as she smirks at her brother, "to help me keep guard. You can do it."

"So, it's decided then." Harry says, ignoring the sibling bickering. "We will go in, save Sirius, and be back before Umbridge even notices we are gone."

"That's doubtful," Hermione answers, "but at least Sirius will be safe, if he's even there."

"He's there," Harry answers, "I saw it. I know he is."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck into Umbridge's office the second that Ginny and Luna started their distraction. They didn't have a moment to spare. Between Umbridge, the Inquisitorial Squad, and Filch it would only be a matter of time before one of them burst in through the door and caught them.

"Are you sure about this?" Ron asked, looking at Harry questionably.

"We don't have a choice." Harry answered, grabbing a handful of floo powder and throwing it into the fire, turning the orange blaze into a neon green. "He would do it to save us."

"If we get caught," Hermione tells them both matter-of-factly. "We are going to be in big trouble."

"That. You. Are." A voice says from behind the trio, causing the hair on the back of their necks to stand on end. They didn't turn around, they didn't have to to recognize the voice, the familiar voice of Professor Umbridge.

It wasn't long before she had the trio tied up and gagged, along with Luna. "Now we are just missing one of the Weasleys," She said out loud, glaring at Ron who glared back at her spitefully. "I should have known the Weasley kids would be a part of this. Nothing but trouble. Pity too. Seems like out of all of you, Percy was the only one who grew up right." Viciously Ron fought against Goyle's hold, trying to head butt him in the face to get free and get to Umbridge. How dare she bad mouth how his parents raised them.

"We found her," Malfoy says with pride following behind Crabbe who burst in the door with Ginny in hand. Malfoy tugged along Neville too, holding him out like a prized rabbit that had been captured in a hunt. "And this one too," He says, snarling his nose. "He was trying to defend the Weasley girl but we managed to get them both." The group all looked at Neville in shock, minus Luna who simply stared out the window, watching the birds as if nothing in the room was going on.

"Good," Professor Umbridge answers with a sly smile. "And here," She says, pointing down at Harry in the chair in front of her. "is the lying traitorous Harry Potter. Who were you trying to contact? Dumbledore?"

"I don't know where Dumbledore is." Harry answered, "but no, that wasn't who and I won't tell you who."

"Malfoy," She called out, realizing this was going to be harder than she thought. "Go get Professor Snape, tell him to bring the Veritaserum."

"Yes ma'am." Malfoy answered, handing Neville too over to Crabbe, who now had someone in each hand. Quickly he ran out the door, cheerful to be on another task.

"Maybe a little bit of truth serum will loosen your tongue. Are you sure you don't want to tell me who it was you were trying to reach?" She asked, gazing at him as if she were asking him whether he would like one spoon of sugar or two in his tea. A simple question.

"Never," Harry hissed back at her.

"So be it then." She answered, turning around and looking out the window as she waited for Malfoy to return. Ron quickly shot a glance over at Luna, who was still staring out the window, and secretly wished he could be that calm in this kind of situation. Instead, he couldn't be more nervous. What if they got expelled? What if she found out about Sirius or about Voldermort? What if she worked for Voldermort and killed them for what they knew? His parents would never know. She could say it was a Quidditch accident and yet here Luna was, looking out the window at the birds like she was daydreaming in class.

"You called?" The familiar drawling voice of Severus Snape called out from the doorway.

"He won't talk." Umbridge answered, pointing at Harry as if she were a toddler telling on another sibling. "I want Veritaserum. Make him talk."

"I'm sorry," Snape answered, staring at Harry like a bug deserving to be squashed. "But it appears you used up the last of the Veritaserum on Miss Chang. Unless you want to poison him that is. Then I have the most sympathy for you, but I doubt you will get much information out of Mister Potter as he is withering in pain before he dies."

"Go make me some more than. NOW!" Umbridge answered in frustration, her face turning red at the thought that there was little she could do to control Harry and the others.

"Unless you want to hold Mister Potter hostage for a month," Snape answers, looking at her as if it were obvious "You will not have the serum. It takes a full moon to make."

"You're on probation!" Umbridge answered, snapping at him. "I thought you were better than this Severus! Now, go! I will handle this on my own!"

"Wait!" Harry hollers out, causing Snape to turn around. "He has Padfoot! He has Padfoot in the place where it is kept!"

"What is he talking about? What is Padfoot? Where what is kept?" Umbridge asked, now furious with all of it.

"I have no idea," Snape answers, looking at Harry for only a moment too long before walking out.

"Well," The woman in pink says, straightening her dress to appear more ladylike. "If Snape can't get any answers out of you, maybe the Cruciatus Curse can."

Hermione managed to use her tongue to get the gag out of her mouth just in time. "NO!" She yells, causing Ron, Ginny, Neville and even Luna to stare at her. "No! You can't! It's illegal!"

"What Cornelius don't know, Miss Granger, can't hurt him." Umbridge answers, putting the picture of the Minister face down on the desk.

"Tell her Harry!" Hermione shouts as Umbridge points her wand at Harry's chest. "Either you tell her or I will! I'll tell her where the secret weapon is! I'll tell her where Dumbledore is keeping it! I'll show it to her!"

The rest of the group looked at Hermione confused as Umbridge smiled. "That's more like it." She said, "Where is it at?"

"I can't tell you," Hermione answered, her face looking concerned as if she were trying to think of how to explain where they were keeping it. "But me and Harry...we can show you. It's not far, walking distance really." She says as she looks over at Ron with concern. "But you have to let the others go, I don't want them to know where it is. Anyone could use it and it wouldn't be safe in the hands of..." She glances from Malfoy to Goyle to Crabbe and then over at Nott who was holding Luna. "Death Eaters."

As if those were the magic words, Umbridge ordered the Inquisitorial Squad to let Neville, Ginny, Ron, and Luna go while she followed Harry and Hermione, at wand point out towards the woods.

"Where do you think Hermione is taking them?" Luna asked Ron after Ginny and Neville walked off.

"I don't know," Ron answered, "but Hermione is bloody brilliant. I am sure she has a plan of some sorts."

"That is true," Luna said dreamily. "You talk so beautifully of her."

"Yea well," Ron says, blushing. "She has kinda saved my arse on more than one occasion. She's not my type though, if that's what you're thinking."

"I didn't say that." Luna answers, reaching out and holding Ron's hand. He couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach as he felt the gentle touch of her skin against his and as soon as the butterflies started to fade, he looked down, to make sure it was real sending a shock up his spine and the butterflies soaring once again in his stomach. "I just think it is great how you look at her, is all. It's beautiful really."

"I look at you like that." He answers, not knowing what else to say. He didn't want her getting jealous of Hermione like Cho so often had with Harry.  
"That's nice Ronald." Luna replies, smiling over at him and sending the butterflies going crazy again. He enjoyed the moment of silence between the two of them, both staring out at the Forbidden Forest before seeing a flock of birds fly up out of the trees as if they were startled.

"What do you think that was?" Luna asked, "Nargles perhaps?"

"Or Harry and Hermione." Ron answers, his tone just as innocent to the conversation as hers had been. It was almost as if she hadn't mentioned a magical creature that no one had seen or heard of, Ron just answered it like a normal question instead of glancing strangely at her and asking her what the Nargles were. Luna couldn't help but hide her smile at the thought of someone finally understanding.

"Perhaps."


	9. Traveling by Threstrals

"I need to go help Sirius." Harry demanded as they walked across the bridge. Now that Umbridge was out of the way, thanks to Hermione's genius plan to take her out into the Forbidden Forest where Grawp lay dormant and ready to play. Where the centaurs waited, already furious with the Ministry for setting out more rules limiting them on where they could run. She was gone, carried off by the centaurs and Harry couldn't help but not be concerned with whether or not the woman was okay after the hell she had put them through for the past school year.

"No," Neville answers, "We didn't help you this far for nothing. We are all going to go help Sirius."

"He is my godfather." Harry reminds him, looking around the group at Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Luna also standing there. "I can't let you guys risk yourselves."

"Well," Hermione says, pointing herself out in the crowd. "Think about it. How many rules have we broken today?" She laughed at herself for thinking this, much less saying it. They just nearly, very even possibly, got their Headmistress murdered by centaurs. Expulsion was the very least the Ministry would do to her and Harry. "What's one more?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Ron asks, staring at her as he stopped dead in his tracks, causing Hermione to once again giggle at her own rebellion.

"Well I'm just saying," She laughs again, "We have come this far."

"And I already told you Harry," Ron tells him, looking Harry in the eyes, "I'm with you til the end."

"I can't just leave Ron to have all the fun." Ginny reminds them. "I want to be a part of this."

"Well, we can't all use the floo powder to get there." Harry says, thinking about it. It was going to be difficult anyway, six teenagers trying to sneak into the Department of Mysteries.

Suddenly Luna, who had been dazed out and looking at the water throughout the entire conversation looks up. "There is one way to get there." She says softly, as if the answer were obvious.

"How?" Ron asked, looking at her questionably.

"Well, it's simple really." She says, looking over at him. "We fly of course. The Threstrals can take us."

"The invisible horse things you guys claim to see?" Ron asks, looking at her as if she were insane. He was crazy about her, but she seemed to have completely lost it at this point.

"Why yes Ronald," She answers innocently, "Those are the ones."

"There's just one problem with that." Harry reminds her, "Ron and the others can't see them."

"That won't be hard." Luna answers plainly, as if the others should have already thought of a solution to that. "We can help them on."

Ginny was the first one to get on the invisible horse. It was a strange feeling, riding on mid-air and yet she could feel something underneath her, almost the feel of a horse under her bottom as she straddled the air whenever Harry helped her up onto the invisible Threstral. Neville was next, nearly falling off of his and over to the other side if it hadn't been for Luna waiting there to grab his hand and hold him in place. Ron felt a tinge of jealousy seeing Luna's hand in that of another man's but it quickly disappeared whenever she walked over to help him onto his.

"Be careful Ronald." She says softly, leading him over. "This one, his name is Tenebrus. He's my favorite."

Ron couldn't help but look at the blank spot that Luna was leading him to questionable, wondering if it was really a good idea to trust his less-than-sane hopefully-soon-to-be girlfriend on this. He truly did care about her, but maybe this wasn't the best of ideas.

"Here," She whispers, taking Ron's hand with a smile before putting it forward in front of them both. "Pet him first." Ron's eyes grew big as he felt the leathery touch of the Threstral's skin beneath his hand. It felt real, even though he couldn't see it and now he knew that it wasn't just in Harry and Luna's heads. These things were real.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispers under his breath as he stroked his hand along the back of the invisible Threstral. It was amazing, how he could feel the invisible creature that all this time he thought was just in Luna's head. She wasn't crazy, she could actually see these things. Ron couldn't help but wonder if she could see the Nargles and Wrackspurts that she talked about as well. If the Crunkle-Horned Snorkaspacs were real too, and he just couldn't see them.

"Come on Ronald," Luna said softly, "I will help you up."

Ron got up on the same stump Neville had stood on, putting his leg over the Threstral's back as Luna had directed him. "Now push yourself up." She said, him following her direction as he pushed off of the stump and Luna reached up to push him further onto the Threstral, since she could see where it was standing. He couldn't tell if Luna had realized she had done it as her hand gently slid across his bum as she pushed him up. "There, much better Ronald." She said as his face turned bright red, unsure if anyone else had seen it.

Luna, if she had noticed that she had done it, didn't make it obvious as she walked back in front of Ron and the Threstral and grabbed his right leg. "Stick your foot under here," She said, moving his foot downward so that he could feel a slight pressure surrounding it, as if it were in a foot rest.

"What is that?" He asked, looking at his leg and wondering what was holding it in place as Luna walked around to the other side, placing his left leg in the same stirrup.

"Well, that's your leg of course." Luna answered with a giggle as she reached up and took his hands. "Hold onto his mane." She said as Ron felt the weathered hair of the Threstral's mane underneath his hands. "and don't pull too hard. He won't like that much." With that she walked over and helped Hermione onto her Threstral before climbing onto her own, jumping onto it comfortably as if she had done it a million times. "Now we fly."

The Threstrals took no time in gathering speed and height, quickly bringing the six teenagers high into the clouds. Ron grabbed tighter onto the creature he couldn't see as fear filled his eyes. Looking down, he saw straight through to the treetops, the roofs of the buildings, and didn't want to imagine what it would be like if he fell. He turned his head for a moment, seeing Luna resting her head on her own invisible creature and couldn't help but wonder how she could be so carefree about it all, so fearless. It excited him slightly, seeing the wind blow through her hair as she relaxed, despite the fact that she was getting ready to face the most dangerous wizard alive, Lord Voldermort himself.

Suddenly, their Threstrals dropped down instantly, causing Hermione to squeal out in fear. Ron almost hollered out himself, feeling as if he were falling straight down, until he realized his legs were still secure wherever it was that Luna had put them. Luna leaned back on her Threstral, almost in a upright position as they fell forward. Ron, seeing what Luna was doing, did the same, leaning back as he felt like he was falling forward. He felt his lower back against the Threstral underneath him and imagined with Luna leaning further back then he was, her back resting against the back of the horse. He couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable and aroused at the thought of her being that flexible, reminding himself quickly that he had a mission to accomplish and he couldn't instead be distracted and absent-minded. He had to stay focused and pay attention.

As the Threstrals landed, the six of them jumped off of them, cramming themselves into a phone booth as Harry dialed the numbers and the booth started to drop down, making more and more of muggle London disappear. Ron held his breath as the pavement slowly moved on and disappeared over the top of the window to the phone booth. He held his breath for fear of what would happen in the Ministry. What would happen once they were down there. What would happen once they face the Dark Lord himself. Finally letting his breath out, the doors to the phone booth opened, causing him, Neville, and Hermione to fall out onto the floor. Dusting themselves off, Harry, Luna, and Ginny walked out too. Luna walked up to Ron, holding his hand as they walked up to face their first battle as the D.A.


	10. Looney for Lovegood

**A/N: We are still in need of people on my forum, The Return to Hogwarts, Eighth Year if anyone is interested. It is a Roleplay Forum that now has classes on weekends to learn more about the Harry Potter world, Class Points that you can earn or lose for good and bad behaviors, and we still have plently of people available, such as Goyle, Crabbe, the Patil twins, Blaise, Lavender, Dean and Seamus. PM me and let me know if anyone is interested. :)**

Ron stood in the circle as the Death Eaters moved closer to Ginny. Taking a step closer to Harry to fill in any gaps, he took Luna's hand in fear. This was going to get messy and he knew it. It was going to be worse than anything any of them had faced yet.

"I want her!" Bellatrix cackled. "I want the little one. She will give in easily. Small" She said, eying Ginny past Harry "And weak."

"And you can have the little one," Lucius answers, "but not until I get my prophecy first."

Ron felt Luna squeeze his hand lightly as he looked over at her. Her lips were moving, nearly invisible unless someone knew where to look but Ron blocked out what everyone else was saying as he tried to listen to her soft innocent voice.

"When Harry says 'Go'' She said, nearly inaudible. "Knock down the prophecies."

Ron squeezed her hand back, letting her know that he had in fact heard what she said as he focused on one prophecy up above the Death Eater's head who was facing him. That was where he was going to shoot, directly above the Death Eater in front of him, smashing the prophecy against the man's head. That was how he was going to do it.

"You're going to have to kill me first." Harry growls back, glaring at Lucius.

"That can be arranged." Bellatrix answers, an evil smile covering her face. "I think I can manage-"

"NO!" Lucius barks, glaring back at her. "The Dark Lord wants him alive."

"NOW!" Harry hollered, seeing Lucius turning his head as his chance to get ahead. The six teens each shot at a prophecy, causing the glass balls around them to fall to the ground. Ron couldn't hear much as each of the prophecies gave off a quiet secret, confessing what the prophecy had held.

"Come on!" He hollered to Luna, pulling her as he held her hand. "We have to get out of here!"

Luna reached behind her, grabbing the back of Ginny's shirt and letting her know to follow them without saying a word. Quickly, the trio ran past Harry, Neville, and Hermione as a group of Death Eaters ran after them. "This one!" Ginny yelled, pulling open a door at the end of the hallway. The three of them ran into the room, shutting the door behind them before realizing that the room didn't have a floor, or a ceiling for that matter and they started to float around.

"Where are we?" Ron asked, looking around at the nine floating balls also in the room. "This place looks weird."

"That's Earth," Luna says, pointing in front of her. "And this one has rings. It must be Saturn."

"We are in space?!" Ron exclaims, looking at his sister in shock. "You put us in space!"

"It's better than being followed by Death Eaters Ronald!" Ginny barks back, nearly sounding like their mother. "Why do you have to be so...so...unappreciative!"

"I think it's a rather nice place to hide." Luna answers, circling around Mars playfully. "No one will-"

Suddenly, the door burst open again as Bellatrix followed by two other masked Death Eaters enter the room, also floating around. The trio tried to get away from the Death Eaters, Ginny going towards Pluto as Ron hid behind Jupiter, using it as a giant red and white shield and Luna stayed close to Mars, the red planet she had been circling before. Hexes were flown all over the mini-outer space as the Death Eaters distracted Ron and Luna while Bellatrix worked her way closer to where Ginny was until she finally wrapped her hand around Ginny's ankle.

"I have her!" Bellatrix hollers, causing Luna and Ron to turn.

"Bombarda!" Luna hollers, hitting Pluto behind the Ginny, causing it to explode. Bellatrix held onto Ginny's ankle as she got pushed forward violently from the explosion causing a loud pop to come from Ginny's ankle followed by her screaming out in pain.

"Why you little!" Bellatrix hollered as she lost her grip on Ginny's ankle and pointed her wand at Luna. "AVADA KEDEV-"

"EXPELLIAMUS!" Ron hollered, knocking Bellatrix' wand out of her hand and causing it to fly into a blue Neptune, now sticking out of the planet. "Don't touch my almost-girlfriend!" He warned, staring Bellatrix in the eyes seconds before a purple lightning bolt shot him directly in the chest.

Not realizing what he was doing, Ron had exposed himself defending Luna leaving him open and available for a shot from one of the Death Eaters, who had happily taken his opportunity to weaken the trio more.

A distant look covered Ron's face as he stared straight ahead, looking past anything in the room. Luna quickly rushed over to him, her body being weightless making it less-than-easy.

"Ronald," She whispered softly, looking him in the eyes. There was still a light in his eyes, meaning he was still alive and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of hex they had placed on him, but Ron remained quiet. "Ronald." She repeats, "Are you okay?"

A smile crept across Ron's face, spreading from ear to ear as he looked into Luna's eyes, still staring past her as she so often did him and started to giggle.

"What's so funny Ronald?" She asked softly, hoping it wasn't the wrackspurts who had entered his brain.

Ron continued to giggle before finally answering Luna. "I can..." He stops himself, giggling so hard he was nearly crying. "I...I can see Uranus Luna." He laughs, "Get it? Uranus?"

"Well, I can see Uranus too." Luna laughs back, finding it rather silly that Ron had just now figured out that was one of the planets there. "Now come on, we need to keep going." She said, shooting at another Death Eater. She turned her back to Ron as he continued to giggle, realizing that she was going to have to protect him since he couldn't stop laughing long enough to protect himself.

"HEY GINNY!" Ron hollered from behind Luna to his sister who was now shooting spells behind her at Bellatrix and trying to get closer to him and Luna. "I'M LOONY FOR LUNA LOVEGOOD!" He said with a snicker, as if he had just whispered a secret into Ginny's ear rather than hollering it out for the three Death Eaters to hear as well. "LOONY FOR LUNA LOVEGOOD." He howls, flipping forward through the air. "LOOOONY!"

Ginny spotted a door up at the top of the room, closer to Mercury than anything and there were no Death Eaters in there way. "Luna," She whispered, pointing up at the door. "Don't say anything to Ron, he'll holler it out, but look."

Luna looked up at the door, nodding in understanding as they slowly moved Ron upward, closer to the door. They just got the door open whenever another lightning shot past them, blowing off into the distance behind them.

"Confungo!" Ginny yells out, hitting the Death Eater who had just shot out a spell at them directly in the chest. Luna pushed Ginny through the door, who collapsed as soon as her ankle hit the floor. "It...It hurts." Ginny says, grabbing her ankle, "I..I think I broke it."

Luna nods in understanding as she pushes a giggly Ron through the door and follows them through the door, slamming it shut behind her. "Colloportus!" She says, pointing her wand at the door, causing it to lock in place. "It hurts?" She asked, knowing that could finally stop and breathe for a moment.

Ginny nodded softly, moving her hand to expose a black and purple ankle underneath. She flinched as Luna touched her ankle softly.

"I can fix toes, you know." Luna says, looking at the ankle closely. "How different can an ankle be?"

"I think an ankle is a little bit more complicated." Ginny answers, staring down at her foot nervously. "Maybe we should save this one for Madam Pomfrey."

Luna nods, not taking what Ginny had said to heart as she looks over at Ron who was still trying to keep from bursting out in laughter.

"Hey Luna," Ron says with a snicker. "Did you know that...that I...I think I may...I think I love Luna Lovegood." He said, snickering at the thought like a little schoolboy.

"That's nice Ronald." Luna answered, wrapping one of Ginny's arms around her own shoulder. "Come on Ginny, Ronald can walk and we will go find the others." It didn't take them long to meet back up with Harry, who seemed to be the best out of the three, Hermione, who was currently unconscious and laying against a wall, and Neville, who had his hand covering his broken nose.

"What happened to you three?" Ginny asked, looking from Harry to Hermione to Neville and back at Harry.

"Hermione got knocked out, but Neville still feels a pulse." Harry told her, before looking over at Neville.

"Dey boke my noze." Neville says, holding his hand up to his mouth and nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

Ron stood there giggling a he looked over at the tub sitting in the middle of the room. "I saw Uranus Harry!" He says with pride before giggling like an innocent school girl. "Get it? I saw URANUS!"

"I get it Ron." Harry answered, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"What is this?" Ron asked, looking up at the tub. "BRAINS! They are brains Harry!" Ron says, his eyes fixated on the tub of brains.

"That's great Ron," Harry answers, "Don't touch them." He then turns to Luna, confused. "What happened to him?"

"The Death Eaters zapped him." Luna answers, looking at Ron who was now slowly walking towards the tub, gazing at the red liquid the brains sat in. "He's been babbling like this for quite some time now. Perhaps they zapped Wrackspurts into his head." She then set Ginny down on the floor, letting her stretch out her legs and check on her ankle. "Then, one of them grabbed Ginny's ankle. I shot at the Death Eater but missed and hit Pluto behind them. When I did, I think I...I think..."

"My ankle is broken." Ginny fills in, rubbing her sore ankle softly.

"Brilliant," Harry answers sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "So, Ginny can't walk. Hermione is unconcious. Ron is...Ron?" He turned around, looking for his best mate only to catch him a moment too late.

"Hehe...watch this Harry!" Ron hollers, "Accio Brain!" With that, one of the brains comes flying out of the tub, quickly wrapping tentacles around Ron's face as a group of Death Eaters storm into the room, shooting hexes at Harry, Luna, Ginny, and Neville. The four people fight the Death Eaters as Ron fights back against the brain, only causing it to squeeze tighter. He feels light-headed as the brain squeezes down viciously, blocking off his oxygen supply and Ron looks over at Luna.

Closing his eyes, Ron unwillingly gives in to the brain as through blurred vision he tries to force his eyes to stay open and stare at the blonde in front of him, throwing counter-curses at the Death Eaters. Slowly the yellow blonde of her hair and deep brown of her eyes starts to fade together as he gives in, drifting into unconsciousness.


	11. Lovin' at the Lake

**A/N: Don't forget everyone, reviews let the author know what you think of the story. They are like a special treat every time you log on. Please Review. **

Ron lay there, unsure of where he was as he drifted back into consciousness. He could feel the warmth of a blanket on him and he heard Luna's sweet voice in the distance. It was dark where he lay still, his eyes not yet open and he listened carefully to the sounds of Ginny and Luna talking amongst themselves while Neville mumbled.

Thinking back, Ron tried to remember what happened as he lay there in the dark, listening to the chatter of Luna and Ginny and trying to catch bits and pieces of it.

"Dey killed Siriuth."

"It's horrible, Harry must be taking it rough."

"Did they get the prophecy?"

"Boken."

"It broke? That's inconvienant."

"I boke it. Tipped on my gown."

The prophecy was gone, broken. Sirius was dead. Why couldn't Ron remember any of this? Why couldn't he remember the battle they were discussing. Dumbledore hadn't been there. Tonks hadn't, or Professor Lupin. He couldn't remember Neville tripping, breaking the prophecy and he didn't understand why Neville's voice sounded muffled, like he had something in his mouth. What had happened? Why couldn't Ron remember these things? Surely he hadn't been Obliviated, otherwise he wouldn't recognize Neville's voice, or Luna's, or his sister's but where was...

Suddenly, Ron's stomach dropped. Where was Harry? Where was Hermione? Harry was obviously alive, otherwise Luna wouldn't have mentioned him taking Sirius' death rough. They wouldn't have said anything about it but no one had even said Hermione's name yet. No one had mentioned where she was.

Fighting, Ron tried to open his eyes. He had to wake up, he had to see what had happened to the two of his closest friends. He pushed, forcing his eyes open to figure it out.

"Ron?" He heard his sister ask and then a shuffle as the light blurred into his eyes. He saw her red hair, still a blurry cloud around her head, on the other side of the Hospital Wing. He recognized that much as Luna ran over to him, her own blonde hair distinguishing her from the others as his eyes cleared up, focusing on her beautiful face. She had a bandage wrapped around her head and her face was bruised lightly, a slight cut in her lip.

"Don't move Ronald," She said softly, her voice a soft mourning tune to his ears. "The Death Eaters attacked you with Nargles. They entered your brain and caused you to hurt yourself."

"Hurt...myself?" Ron asked, looking at Luna confused.

"You called for a brain in one of the rooms." Ginny answered, "Foolish really but when it came to you, it wrapped it's tentacles around your head."

"Tentacles?" Ron asked again, now even more confused. What had happened? Where was Hermione? Why were they saying he was attacked by a brain? "Brain?"

Luna nodded softly. "It was quite astounding. It came after you, attacked you and you fought it off. I think with the Nargles, it was a bit too much though. You are fine now."

"I am?" Ron asked before looking down at his body. He didn't have a scratch on him, not even a bandage around his own head. Instead, he just looked the same as he always did minus a slight headache. He assumed that was from the pressure of the tentacles these brains supposedly possessed though. "What about Harry? Hermione?"

"Harry is fine." Ginny tell him. "He has been in and out of here checking on us for the past couple of days. Hermione got hit in the head but has already been released. We see her every once in a while but mostly she spends her time studying now."

"Studying?!" Ron exclaims as if the thought were rubbish. "But...we already took our O.W.L's."

Ginny shrugs, almost to herself. "You know Hermione." She says as if that explained it all. "She said that she had a study partner who was ready to see her. Wouldn't mention his name though. She said she just had to let him know she was okay."

"HIM!?" Ron answered furiously. He didn't have feelings for Hermione, not that way at least, but the thought that she was keeping a guy from Ron and Harry did bother him. The three of them didn't keep anything from each other.

"I don't know anything about him!" Ginny snaps back quickly. "So don't even ask me! All I know is what I hear!"

The next day, the four teens were released from the Hospital Wing, giving Ron a chance to talk alone with Luna. Neville had pulled Ron aside in the Hospital Wing, whispering to him what all he had confessed to the group of them. That he was 'Looney for Luna Lovegood' and how he was 'In love with a Lovegood' as Ron's face turned bright red with embarrassment, nearly causing his face to match his hair in color. Now he needed to talk to Luna, he needed to explain himself and he knew exactly where to find her.

Making his way down the hill from the castle, Ron saw Luna sitting there on the side of the the lake. She sat there staring at a group of ducks swimming across the lake distantly, as if the battle in the Ministry had never occurred, as if Sirius had never died. Ron couldn't help but have more respect for her for that. It had happened and from what Ron had heard, since he didn't remember any of it, Luna had fought bravely but she seemed to know that grieving over everything wouldn't change Sirius' death. It wouldn't change Ginny's broken ankle or Neville's broken nose. It was pointless.

Trying to discreetly catch Luna's attention without startling her, Ron cleared his throat causing her to turn around.

"Oh, hello Ronald." Luna said softly, facing him. Ron quickly stuck his hands in his pockets to try to hide the fact that they were shaking.

"Hey," He answered softly before looking down at his feet. "Ummm...what are you doing?"

"Watching the ducks." Luna replied, her voice dancing delicately into his ears. He loved how carefree her voice sounded, how innocent and pure it really was. "Sometimes the Threstrals like to eat them as a snack, but I hope they don't this time. The ducklings are having so much fun. You can sit down if you like." She said, patting the spot of grass next to her.

"Thanks," Ron answered, sitting down. "Threstrals, huh? Why would they eat ducks?" He couldn't argue the fact that they were real anymore. Even though he didn't see them for himself, he had felt one. He had rode on it from Scotland to London. There had to be something realistic in that.

"They are meat eaters of course. They like steak and birds. But I suppose as long as the ducks don't wander off too far, they should be safe." Luna told him with a smile.

"Right." Ron whispered, looking down at his hands again nervously. He didn't know what else to say to Luna. How to tell her that he was unsure if he really did love her. He thought he did, but couldn't be positive. Instead of asking her, he leaned in quickly and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you Ronald," She answered, her eyes looking no more shocked than what they always did. "You really are a great kisser."

"Really?" Ron asked before feeling her lips on his, her mouth exploring his. Her kisses had a sweet taste, almost like honeysuckle and her hair smelt beautifully plain, like springtime and cinnamon. He couldn't help it as Ron reached back, placing his hand on the back of her head as he lay her back in the grass as if he were setting her delicate head on a pillow. Leaning over her, he kissed her like he had never kissed before. Their embrace was filled with passion, her lips were his newest addiction. Better than butterbeer or his mum's cooking. They overwhelmed him.

He felt as Luna's hands glided along his back, pulling his chest closer against hers until he could feel her heartbeat against his own. Her fingertips toyed with the bottom of the back of his shirt until her hands were under his shirt, against his bare skin. Ron knew where this was headed and quickly pulled his head away.

"We don't have to." He whispers softly, brushing Luna's hair out of her face.

Luna looked up at him, having never been this far with a guy before. She was nervous but knew deep down inside she wanted it. "I will Ronald." She answers, her eyes gazing into his. Ron took the answer, quickly taking of his own shirt to expose his bare chest. He was more gentle with removing hers, kissing her bare skin after every button he undid, although he couldn't hide the fact that his hands were shaking so much that it took twice as long as what it was probably supposed to just to remove her shirt.

With the tall grass being the only barrier between them and Hogwarts, the only thing stopping them from being spotted, Ron continued to explore Luna and right there by the lake, with only the ducks as their witnesses, the young couple gave each other the one thing they could never take back.


	12. Things We Lose

After their brief lovemaking, Ron kissed Luna softly on the lips. He couldn't get enough of her taste, of her kisses. They were so innocent and pure. Softly, Luna looked up at him with her big brown eyes.

"That was perfect Ronald," She whispered softly, almost as casual as if he had done a proper patronus or completed a potion he had been working on for months. "Thank you,"

Ron couldn't help but smile as Luna ran her fingers through his sweat-soaked red hair that was now sticking to his forehead. "Thanks, I think." He answered with a laugh, unsure of what to really say to that before he felt a raindrop fall onto the center of his bare back.

Softly, another drop of rain falls, and another as Ron and Luna quickly throw on their clothes. It doesn't take long before it is a solid sheet of rain pouring down on the two of them, drenching them as they run up to the castle for protection. As they get inside, Ron leans up against the wall of the corridor as Luna laughs, shaking out her hair.

Ron couldn't help but stare at her, the way her blonde hair now looked a very light brown. The way her eyes lit up as she smiled. "I...I think I love you Luna." The words spilled out of his mouth before he could even begin to think about what he had said.

"You think?" Luna asked with curiosity as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Do you not know?"

Ron shook his head softly. "No, I just...I've never felt this way before so I...I don't know if that's what it is." He said, tripping over his words as his face turned to a deep crimson color.

"Well," Luna answered, "When I am confused about something, and the Nargles didn't cause it, I test it."

It was now Ron's turn to be confused. "How do you test something like that?" He asked with a laugh.

"It's simple really," The girl replied, staring into Ron's eyes. "Try dating another girl. If you feel the same, then it's not love. If you don't, then it is."

Ron couldn't help but stare at Luna. The thought behind the idea was genius. Of course that would tell him whether or not it was love. If he felt the same way for another girl, that would mean it was just lust. That it was just him being a hormonal teenager. Wouldn't it, he asked himself mentally as the girl in front of him, the girl he had just given his virginity to, cocked her head sideways, waiting for an ultimatum. He stood there in an emotional debate. Wouldn't he want to know if it was just lust, if the feelings were unique just because it was Luna? But then again, if they were the same feelings with another woman, Ron feared part of him would have a hint of disappointment for the fact that it wasn't love. After all, Luna did have some rather amazing qualities about her. She looked at Ron like no other woman, not even Hermione, had looked at him. Something told Ron that when Luna looked at him, she saw someone brave, someone strong. Someone who was nothing like how Ron saw himself, how Harry saw him, or even how Hermione did. When Luna looked at Ron, it was almost as if in her eyes, he wasn't the sidekick, but the Chosen One himself.

"You can always change your mind at any time Ronald." Luna reminds him, seeing the confusion in his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ron nodded his head in understanding. "Okay," He tells her, "I will try dating someone else then I suppose."

"That's nice." Luna answers, skipping away as if Ron's words hadn't hurt her in the least. He watched her skip off, wondering what could be going through the girl's mind and if he would hurt her by this decision. She didn't look hurt, in Ron's opinion. She wasn't crying like Harry had talked about Cho doing or yelling at him like Hermione and yet, Ron couldn't hide the tinge of guilt lying in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"What do you mean you broke up?!" Hermione asked him later on the same day as they sat down in the Great Hall for lunch. Her voice had a hint of fury in it as Ron reached over, grabbing the Daily Prophet sitting in front of them at the table.

"I mean, we broke up." Ron answers, his voice cold and disappointed as he looks at the Daily Prophet, skimming through until he reached the sports section. Picking up the page that normally had the wins and losses of the Quidditch teams going for the British and Irish Quidditch League European Cup. He picked the page up in the air, looking at Hermione through the page with confusion. It looked like the usual Sports Section, having different articles on the wins and losses of the Appleby Arrows, who had won, the Pride of Portee, who had lost to the Wimbourne Wasps, and the Kenmare Kestrels, who had also won. However, there were holes in the spot where the Chudley Cannons had played against the Montrose Magpies and Falmouth Falcons. It looked almost as if someone had cut out the articles regarding the Chudley Cannons. "What happened to the paper?!" Ron asked with concern. The Sports Section had been what he was looking forward to distracting himself with, distracting himself from the not-so-harsh break up with Luna.

"That doesn't matter Ron!" Hermione answers, "You broke up with Luna."

"It was a mutual agreement Hermione," Ron answers, still more concerned about the paper and not really wanting to discuss what had happened with Luna anyway. "We decided that we were going to see if it was really what we thought it was or not by trying to date other people."

"Really what you thought it was?" Hermione asked, still confused. "What do you mean really what you thought it was? You two were so good together."

"I don't see why it matters," Ron answers, now frustrated that the subject wasn't being dropped. "It's not like you have been there to see me and Luna together, what with your 'secret study partner' and all." He said, causing Hermione's cheeks to turn a deep red with embarrassment. Ron couldn't help but be unconcerned with her embarrassment, seeing as how she was keeping this other boy a secret so carefully. "Dean," He called over, looking at the tall, skinny boy sitting down the bench a little ways from Hermione. "Who won in the Chudley Cannons versus Montrose Magpies game?"

Dean looked at Ron with confusion before shaking his head, "Couldn't tell you," Dean answered, the same look of confusion on his own face as he returned to his drawing pad. "All the Daily Prophets in the Common Room seem to have had the same luck." He says, shaking his head as he carefully rubbed his finger over where he had just used the quill on a piece of parchment, smudging the lines. "I had to ask a Ravenclaw, who said they would get back with me on that."

From behind Dean, a Ravenclaw boy a few years younger than Ron and Hermione walked up and whispered something in Dean's ear. "They lost." Dean told him, going back to drawing another line on the piece of parchment before smearing that line too.

"Why isn't it in the paper." Ron asked, now frustrated with the thought.

"That doesn't matter Ron." Hermione answered, returning to the case of him and Luna. "I don't understand it. You two seemed so happy together. It's not like Luna is hard to get along with."

"It does matter if the Chudley Cannons don't win!" Ron answered, stuffing his face.

"The Chudley Cannons never win!" Hermione barked back boldly, blushing as Dean looked back over in their direction before returning to his piece of parchment paper.

"What are you two arguing about now?" Harry asked, sitting down beside Hermione with his lunch in his hand.

"Ron broke up with Luna." Hermione growled, looking at Ron as if she were telling on him.

"I didn't break up with her," Ron argues back defensively, "We kind of agreed to break up." He said, explaining himself to Harry.

"How do you kind of "agree" to break up? Harry asks using his fingers to make bunny ear quotation marks in the air around his head.

Well," Ron answered nervously, not really wanting to have the discussion again. "I kind of told her how I felt about her, like you said and she goes you think you do? But not like Hermione or Ginny would say it, nicer." Ron said, looking over at Hermione as he waited to get smacked for the comment he had made. "And I go, well yea and she said that if I was unsure than the only way to be certain is to try dating someone else and see if I feel the same way." He finished with a sigh, "I don't know about it though mate, I mean. What if I don't? Or worse," he said with a gulp "What if I do?"

"Mate, I just told you to talk to her about how you felt, not try to change the world of dating between men and women. Sounds to me like the end results the same though. You ended up dumping her like yesterdays Daily Prophet." Harry says shaking his head.

"I didn't dump her!" Ron says defensively, glaring at Hermione for even bringing the subject up to Harry, "We just agreed to take a break is all. You were the one who told me to bloody tell her how I felt and I did and now I'm single. Besides, yesterday's paper looked a lot better than today's does." Ron said, holding up the Sports Section of the Daily Prophet for Harry to see.

"Well either way the only thing to do now is trudge forward and see how it plays out. Any idea who your going to ask out? I mean you are going to do it right?" Harry asks.

Ron let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know," He answered, "I don't even know where to begin with women really. I mean, Luna kind of just happened. Things don't normally happen like that, I don't think. I don't know how to talk to a girl."

"Well when I went and asked the twins to go to the Yule ball with us I just went up and asked. Once Pavarti got past the giggling it was just like talking to anyone else. Or maybe you should start with someone you already know..." Harry said nervously as he quickly looked away from Hermione.

Ron tried to imagine what he had just done with Luna and tried to picture if it had been any other girl he had known. "I don't think I can." He says honestly, "I mean, who do I know that I could date. Lavender seems, I don't know, clingy and you dated Cho. Padma already told Luna that she wasn't happy with me." Ron sighed a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do."

"Well you'll never know unless you try mate. But as a suggestion, Hufflepuffs are kind of ditzy and Slytherins are stuck up so I'd stick to someone either in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor just to be safe. Does that help?" Harry asks hoping to take some weight off his friends shoulders.

Ron shrugged, "I guess." He answers, wishing that he had never agreed to this with Luna but also knowing it was too late to go back on his word. "Thanks though," He said, standing up. "I'll see you guys at the Feast tonight, I am going to go...think."

"Don't over do it mate. Remember if nothing else were still teenagers so we've got plenty of time to screw up in the dating world between now and the time we settle down." Harry says with a reassuring smile.

"Great," Ron answers to himself in a familiar whine as he walked off, "I screwed up."

"What has gotten into him?" Hermione asked, trying to make sense of the entire conversation that had just played out in front of her.

"I think," Harry answers, looking at his best mate as he walked off. If he were a dog, he would have held his tail between his legs, Harry tells himself, suddenly thinking of Sirius as the thought crossed his mind, sending a bitter sting back to his hear. "I think he truly has fallen for Luna."

The rest of the evening, neither Harry nor Hermione saw Ron. It wasn't until Harry went down from the dorms to head to the Great Feast that he saw Hermione still sitting in the Common Room in front of the fire.

"Are you coming to the Feast?" Harry asked, walking around to face Hermione.

"I don't think so," Hermione answered, "I was...umm...going to study." Her face turned a deep red as she felt herself tripping over her words, trying to come up with a valid excuse to Harry.

"Okay," Harry answered, not asking any more questions. He couldn't help but feel left out with Hermione having her study partner who she was spending what seemed like all her free time with and Ron, who now instead of spending all his time with Luna, seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. Leaving the Common Room, Harry headed towards the Great Hall, stopping as he heard someone hum to themselves in an empty corridor. Stopping in his tracks, he took a few steps back, seeing a familiar blonde skipping along as she hung up flyers in the corridor.

"Luna?" He called out, confused as to what she was doing.

"Oh," Luna replied, turning around to face the person who had just called out her name. "Hello Harry,"

"Are you coming to the Feast?" Harry asked, feeling as if this was the question he seemed to be asking everyone tonight.

"No," She answered, "I am missing some of my belongs," She said, showing Harry the flyer that listed some of her belongings such as a pair of red sneakers, a bottlecap necklace, and three purple ponytail holders. "I believed it was the Nargles at first," She whispered to Harry, as if it were a secret just between the two of them. "But it seems people have been hiding them from me."

Harry questioned whether to ask Luna about Ron before deciding to go about it in a subtle way. "I haven't seen Ron much today," He says casually, hoping that would be enough.

"He's been down at the Quidditch Pitch flying," Luna answers non-nonchalantly. "We broke up, you know." She says, as if the thought hadn't phased her much. "He wasn't sure if he loved me."

Harry nods in understanding, the situation becoming even more awkward as he tried to think of what to say, whether or not to stick up for his best friend.

"I don't think it'll last long." She says, her voice still casual as she put up another flyer. "Just long enough to see if he really does love me."

"Well," Harry answers, ready to get away from the situation that he had now caused to become an awkward one. He couldn't help but feel like he was stuck in quick sand as he tried to come up with a good excuse to get as far away from the situation as possible. "I hope you find your stuff."

Luna smiles as she looks over at Harry, "Thank you Harry," She says before staring up at the ceiling and seeing a pair of her sneakers dangling from a rafter. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the past year and everything that had happened, the friends she had made and the way that her and Ron had started to fall for each other. "My mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not in the way we expect."


	13. A Summer in Sweden

The train ride home was awkward for not just Ron, who didn't seem to be himself with Luna sharing the compartment with him, and for some unknown reason Hermione, after finding out about Ginny's latest break-up with Michael Corner and that she was now dating Dean Thomas, had become on-edge but the situation was also awkward for Harry and Ginny, having to share a compartment with the overly-quiet Ron and the on-edge Hermione. Luna didn't seem to notice the awkwardness of the situation as she sat there across from Ron, reading her latest edition of the Quibbler upside down with her Spectrespecs placed gently on her face, causing her to look like an over sized hoot owl. Ron couldn't help but glance over at her when he thought no one was looking, only to see her still deep in concentration on the book in front of her.

"Father got a bonus," Luna said finally, looking up just to see who was listening. "The Daily Prophet bought his article. We are going on a trip this summer." She said softly, causing Harry, Ginny, and Ron to all three look her way. Ron couldn't help but feel disappointed in the fact that Luna wasn't going to be staying close for the summer, even though they were no longer together. He had looked forward to going and seeing her, even if it was only as friends.

"Where to?" Ginny asked curiously, hoping to break up some of the tension that had made the compartment nearly unbearable up to that point.

"Sweden," Luna answered, "We are going to try finding the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"What is a kacky snorgle?!" Ron asked, speaking to Luna for the first time since their break-up had occurred. Everyone turned to look at him, an expression of shock on their face, everyone minus Luna, who instead simply answered his question.

"A Crumple-Horned Snorkack" Luna answered, looking slightly agitated at Ron's mimic of the creature, "is a magical creature. They are very hard to find."

The softest of bite in Luna's comment ended the conversation as the compartment stood silent the rest of the ride back to Station 9 3/4. As Ron returned back to the Burrow after his father had sternly told Harry's aunt and uncle to make sure and treat Harry well and that he was to be allowed to write Ron and Hermione both, he quickly went up to his room, unsure of the damage he had caused by asking Luna about the kacky snorgle she was so intent on finding.

The rest of the summer went by as usual. As Ron got the Daily Prophet, it contained all of the articles regarding the Chudley Cannons and how they were not likely to win the British and Irish Quidditch League European Cup, despite the fact that they had won a game, the only game they won over the summer, against the Appleby Arrows. Hermione had sent Ron a single letter, making sure to tell him that she hoped he was happy knowing that she was no longer writing either Viktor Krum or her 'secret study partner as you had put it'. He couldn't help but feel as if everything was falling apart as the summer slowly drew to an end.

The final morning of summer, Ron sat at the Weasley table with Ginny, both of them eating their breakfast in silence as Errol came flying through the door and landing face-first in Ron's cereal.

"Perfect," Ron groaned pushing his bowl, Errol still face-first in the milk, away and grabbed the Daily Prophet from the grey owl's grip. He opened the paper, once again to the sports section, to see what had happened in last night's Quidditch game against the Wigtown Wanderers only to toss the paper on the table in frustration as he saw that, once again, large portions of the sports section in the paper were now missing.

"What's your problem?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"I don't know, but it's happening again." Ron hollered out, pointing at the paper as he stood up from the table.

"What's happening again?" Ginny asked, now concerned as she grabbed the paper and looked at it. "What did you do to the sports section?" She asked, looking up at Ron again. "Too heartbroken to hear that the Chudley Cannons lost so you had to destroy it?"

Ron glared at Ginny as he grabbed the paper from her hands, taking it upstairs with him as he grabbed his things and got ready to go back to King's Station for his sixth year at Hogwarts.

As Ron and Ginny boarded the train, he glanced around quickly before boarding, looking for Luna without any sight of her. He couldn't help but wonder whether or not she had even returned from Sweden on time to board the train, not sure whether he was hoping that she had made it or perhaps secretly hoping that she hadn't so he wouldn't have to face her. Quickly, he found his way to a compartment with Harry and Hermione who were already in a full debate over something.

"What's going on?" He asked, sitting down beside Hermione.

"Harry thinks Draco is a death eater." Hermione answered matter-of-factually, staring at Harry with a determined look of winning the battle on her face. "I told him it was rubbish."

"I have to agree with Hermione on this one mate," Ron answers, looking at Harry. "Malfoy just don't have it in him."

"Well something is going on." Harry answered, "And I'm going to figure out what." Harry quickly threw his Invisibility Cape over his head, walking out of the compartment towards the Slytherin compartment.

"Hear anything from Luna?" Hermione asked Ron, now that they were alone. Ron softly shook his head, looking down at his hands.

"Nothing yet," He answered, his voice ringing with disappointment. "I'm going to give her time though, maybe do as she said, try dating someone else."

"Well, I think that's silly." Hermione answered, her voice ringing with the know-it-all tone Ron had grown familiar to over the years. "After all, if you like someone, why would you try dating someone else..." She said as Ron could hear a slight tone in her voice, telling him that she wasn't just talking about him and Luna anymore.

Quietly, he sat there staring at his hands until they arrived at the Castle, knowing the conversation was best to be dropped where it was.

During the feast Ron continued to eat as usual, finding comfort in the food to keep his mind off of the fact that he still hadn't seen Luna. Maybe her father had sided with some of the other parents, saying that it was best that Luna not return to Hogwarts, although Ron honestly couldn't see that being the case. Maybe he just hadn't run across her. Looking over at the Ravenclaw table as he continued to chew at the food in front of him, Ron looked around still not seeing her blonde hair and turnip earrings standing out at the table in front of him. Deeply, Ron let out a sigh before returning to gorging himself.

"Will! You! Stop! Eating!" Hermione hollered finally, hitting Ron with her book as she spoke each word.

"What?!" He asked, his mouth still full.

"Harry is missing and all you can do is sit there and stuff your face!" Hermione answered, fear obviously swept across her face.

"I'm sure he is..."  
"There he is!" Ginny said, pointing to the door where Harry stood, obviously late and the blood from his nose where Draco Malfoy had broken it covering the front of his shirt. "And he's covered in blood. Why is he always covered in blood?"

"Maybe it's not his own this time," Hermione answered, her face still filled with fear. Ron could see that there was obviously conflict between the two girls he was sitting with, wondering what letters had been passed between the two of them this time.

"What happened?" Ron asked as his sister handed Harry a napkin to press up against his bloody nose.

"Malfoy. I'll explain later," Harry answers before looking at Ginny with a smile. "Thanks Ginny." He said, holding the napkin up against his once-broken nose and looking up at where Dumbledore now stood, ready to give his speech.

Ron looked over at the Ravenclaw table, still not seeing Luna sitting there as the speech started. He couldn't help but feel helpless. If Harry had gotten bloodied up already in the year and he hadn't yet seen Luna, what could have possibly happened to her in Sweden.


	14. The Wooing of Lavender Brown

The following morning as Harry and Ron stood around, watching as first years scrambled to their classes and got lost in lavatories until they got stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Slughorn is more than happy to take Exceeding Expectations N.E.W.T. students Mr. Potter." Ron heard her say as he stood in the corridor and had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "And take Mr. Weasley too, he's having too much fun up there." She said, looking at Ron over the rims of her glasses.

Ron couldn't help but sigh as the trudged on to Potions class. "But I don't want to take Potions again," He said with a sigh as they grew closer to the Dungeon.

"I don't either," Harry answered, "but she really didn't leave me with much of a say in the matter."

As they walked into the Potions Classroom, Ron got a familiar whiff and felt as though he were going to faint. "What's that smell?" He asked, looking around the room for the face to place it with.

"I don't know." Harry answered, just as mesmerized.

"Granger sir." They heard Hermione say as they went into the book cabinet to grab two used books, the smell of cinnamon and springtime still lingering in the air. "The potion is Amortentia, it is known to smell differently to each person..."

Ron sighed as he stood there in the room, now listening out of boredom as Slughorn praised Hermione before saying something to the regards of liquid luck. Ron knew he could use the liquid luck later on. Well, Ron couldn't deny it. Just to get the potion to not blow up in his face, Ron could use the liquid luck and that was before he ever got started. Quickly, he went to work on the potion Slughorn wanted them to do.

Ron read the first step of the recipe quickly:

_Cut up the Sophophorus bean._

The step seemed simple enough in Ron's opinion, making the potion almost seem too good to be true as Ron quickly went over to the ingredient cabinet and grabbed a Sophophorus bean. Ron looked at the little bean in his hand, no bigger than a pebble and quickly took his knife at it after returning to the desk. The bean looked like a prune but had a hard shell that made it hard to cut with the knife. Quickly Ron grew tired of the bean in front of him and started to stab his knife at it on the table, sending it flying across the room, causing him to go over to the cabinet and grab another, repeating the same process.

Before Ron knew it, he heard Slughorn's voice call out that time was up. Hermione stood next to him at the table, her hair frazzled and frayed. She looked insanely frustrated at her cauldron in front of her. Ron hadn't even thought to look around during class to see how everyone else was doing as he spent the entire hour staring down at the Sophophorus Bean that still sat there lonely and whole on his desk. As he looked around, he saw that Seamus' face was covered in soot, assuming from the potion exploding in his face, that Dean was standing there, frustrated as ever at his almost cement-looking concoction in his own cauldron and all the Slytherins on the other side of the room looked just as frustrated as Ron was with the entire thing. The only one in the entire room who didn't look like they had already completely and totally given up was Harry, who was still looking at his potion, his eyes hopeful that he had done it right.

As Slughorn walked around, looking in everyone's cauldrons, he frowned as he looked into Ron's, seeing nothing but one of the beans Ron had thrown in there in frustration.

"I see," He said, looking from the cauldron to Ron in disappointment. "Weasley, is it? Related to Ginny Weasley?"

Ron nodded softly, his face turning red once again with frustration as he knew what was coming next.

"Maybe she can help you with your potions then Rufus. She does seem rather well at jinxes." The professor told him, causing Ron to flinch as he once again got his name wrong.

"Thanks." Ron mumbled under his breath as Slughorn continued to walk, walking over to Harry's cauldron.

"AH!" Slughorn said, pulling a single leaf out of his pocket and dropping it into Harry's cauldron where it shriveled up instantly. "It appears we have a winner." The rest of the class stood there, everyone but the Slytherins clapping as Harry received his reward, one vial of liquid luck.

The next morning, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in the Great Hall for breakfast, Ron sat there nervous as ever. Today was the try-outs for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and Ron was bound and determined to make Keeper.

"Good Luck Ron," A voice says from behind him, causing him to turn around and see the girl with long blonde hair in perfect spiral curls and a ribbon in her hair. He knew the girl, Lavender Brown, but had never paid much attention to her in the past. She was always a bit too giggly for him, a bit too obsessed with fashion. "I know you'll do brilliant."

Ron smiled weakly before turning around, facing Harry. He couldn't even smile as he felt the urge to throw up his breakfast right then and there. The Daily Prophet that Hermione was reading before Lavender walked up to them, her face now in a snarl at the thought of the other girl cooing over Ron making her sick, didn't even seem to interest Ron. He knew what would be in it. The Appleby Arrows successes, the Wigtown Warriors losses. He also knew what wouldn't be in it, anything about the Chudley Cannons and sighed in despair.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, looking over at Hermione and seeing her glare at Lavender.

"Nothing," Hermione answered a bit too quickly as she looked back down at the Daily Prophet. "Just shocked is all, Lavender didn't show the slightest bit of interest in you while you were dating Luna."

"Well I would hope not," Ron answers, the smallest of chuckles coming out of his voice at the thought of Lavender wooing him while he was snogging Luna.

"I just think it's silly." Hermione answered, standing up to leave. She couldn't explain to Ron how she felt with his emotional range of a teaspoon. "I have to go." She said coldly.

"Going to study with your secret partner?" Ron asked, him and Harry smiling at the teasing.

"No," Hermione snapped back, a bit too quickly and firmly. "In fact, I'm not!" With that, she grabbed her book and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Well, wish me luck." Ron said, no longer having an appetite.

"Good luck," Harry mumbled, wondering what all he had just missed out on with Hermione's fury.


	15. Tricky Tryouts

Ron stood there on the Quidditch Pitch, listening to Harry as he explained how Quidditch Try-Outs were going to work. He told everyone that just because they had a position on the team the year before didn't guarantee them one this year, causing Ron's stomach to drop. He had been on the Quidditch Team last year. What if he didn't make it this year? Suddenly, he felt faint.

"Now, let's get started." Harry said, causing everyone to get on their brooms as Ron went up to one goal post and Cormac McLaggen went up to the other, the two rivaling for the Keeper position for the Gryffindor team face-to-face as the try-outs began. Before the try-outs started, Ron looked over into the stands seeing Lavender on the edge of her seat and Hermione only a few rows behind her, watching intently.

"No pressure," He told himself as he watched the Quaffle flew around the Pitch, Katie Bell and Ginny both trying to keep the Quaffle ball to themselves as much as possible, causing yet another rivalry for a position on the team as they continuously took the ball away from each other.

Ginny pushed Katie out of the way, cobbing her nearly off her broom as she got her hands on the Quaffle ball, throwing it towards Cormac's post where he quickly dodged it, sending it off in another direction.

Katie then grabbed the Quaffle back, aiming another hit towards Cormac who, once again, blocked the ball successfully. Ron watched as Cormac repeated this, blocking each move thrown at him time and time again, a total of four goals successfully blocked. Ron couldn't help but feel queasy as he watched the possible new Keeper for the Gryffindor Team never make a mistake, as Ron heard Lavender cheer him on in the background.

Ron held his breath as someone else called out his name, cheering him on. The voice sounded similar, almost like Hermione as he held his breath, a potential Quidditch Chaser throwing the ball in his direction. Quickly he reached up, blocking the Quaffle with his hand. Ginny sent the Quaffle again in his direction, which he blocked with his foot, nearly not giving him enough time to think before it came at him a third time, him blocking the Quaffle with the top of his helmet and a fourth one with his chest. He tried to focus on blocking the blows coming at him, each one a little bit faster, a little bit more difficult to block. He watched as Katie came flying towards him, only giving him a split second to glance over at the stands, seeing Luna now sitting between Hermione and Lavender in the middle row sitting attentively on the edge of her seat.

Suddenly Ron couldn't think as he pictured the blonde sitting there watching him. Why? Why was she there? They had broken things off, hadn't said a word to each other, hadn't seen each other at all since the train ride home last year. Ron's mind was racing as he realized that not only was Luna back at the school, she was watching him. Watching him now. She still cared.

Quickly the Quaffle came flying at Ron as he looked up. Impulse and adrenaline running through his blood, Ron blocked the Quaffle with his elbow, throwing him off balance as he started to fall off of his broom, grabbing the only thing he could, the end of it as he dangled momentarily in mid-air, his life flashing before his eyes.

Luna couldn't help but jump, keeping her eyes on Ron as he continued to slide down his broom, trying to keep a grip on the handle as much as possible. She didn't even notice that she was holding her breath as Ron nearly fell off the end of his broom, grabbing for a spot a little bit higher up. It wasn't until she saw Ron grab the footrest of his broom, pulling himself back upright, that Luna realized she had been holding her breath, exhaling heavily as he climbed back up on his broom.

Readjusting himself, Ron prepared himself for any future Quaffles he may take as Katie zoomed past on her broom, nearly knocking Harry off of his broom in dedication to get the Chaser position. Going for Cormac's goal, she speeds forward, throwing the Quaffle as hard as she can in his direction. Cormac, not knowing what got into him at that very moment, as no one did minus Hermione, quickly dodged the ball allowing it to go through the goal.

Ginny then hurled another one in Ron's direction, intent on proving to Harry that she was just as good as Katie whenever it came to being a Chaser. Ron saw it coming, but barely, as his sister's red hair was all he could see before the Quaffle came right at him, him flipping upside-down on his broom to hit it with his helmet.

Ron couldn't help but smile as he heard the cheering, looking into the stands to see Hermione and Lavender clapping for him. That wasn't what caught his eye though. It wasn't until he saw the dirty blonde hair of the girl who he knew was wearing her radish earrings and bottlecap necklace that Ron finally smiled. She was clapping for him. She was actually clapping for him.

The rest of the day Ron spent with a smile on his face. "Think Cormac is taking it hard?" He asked Harry for the twentieth time during Lunch.

"Probably no harder than he was five minutes ago when you asked." Hermione answers, now frustrated with the conversation.

"She has a point," Harry answers, looking back down at his Advanced Potions book. The Half-Blood Prince. Still no one knew what the term meant or who it was referencing to, only that Harry had been stuck nose-deep in the book since he had gotten it and he was finally not only passing Potions, but exceeding Hermione in it.

"Well, I can't help but feel sorry for him." Ron says, the smile not disappearing. "After all," Suddenly he starts to snicker. "It must be horrid not being Keeper."

Hermione shifts in her seat, going back to reading her book. She couldn't hide the fact that she was really starting to get frustrated that she kept hearing about practice. It was bad enough that her ex-study partner was trying out for the Quidditch Team too. That he had made the team and, in great excitement, had snogged his girlfriend right there on the Pitch for everyone to see, causing Hermione's stomach to curl.

"I wonder," Ron continues, "if he is beating himself up over that goal that he missed. Stage fright can be hell." He said, snickering again as both Harry and Hermione went back to ignoring him. "Do you think Luna saw it?"

"Why?" Hermione asked, "You broke up with her, remember."

"Just asking out of curiosity and all." Ron answered, trying not to sound desperate. "I just saw that she was watching the try-outs."

Suddenly, Lavender walked up behind Ron, causing Hermione to roll her eyes in disgust. "Congratulations Ron, you did brilliant." She said, the biggest of grins on her face as she walked off with Pavarti.

"So," Ron answered as soon as Lavender left. "Do you think Cormac is taking it hard?"


	16. Stories, Snogging, and Seamus

The following weekend Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed up to Hogsmeade. It was a cold weekend, nearly November, and the snow had just started to cover the ground, leaving a white blanket for the trio to walk through.

"At least the wind isn't cold," Hermione said as she trotted through the snow. "Although I'm sure your _Half-Blood Prince _has a spell for that too, doesn't he Harry?"

"It's not like that," Harry answers defensively.

"He sleeps with it, you know." Ron says quickly. "Almost like you Hermione. I keep waiting for him to call out it's name in the middle of the night."

"What?!" Harry asks with a laugh, "Like you still do Luna's?"

Quickly Ron looked down, trying to hide the blush on his face. He couldn't hide the fact that he still liked Luna, although Lavender was pushing more and more for the two of them to date and if he could ever get up the courage to ask her, he had considered dating her. Hermione still fought against the idea but Ron continuously reminded her of what Luna had said, it was the only way for him to know for sure if it was love.

"You are still saying her name?!" Hermione said, staring at him. "Ron, you have to stop this. It's been-"

"I know Hermione, okay." Ron answered, "Besides, you still haven't said a word about your secret study partner last year."  
"That's because it don't matter." Hermione said abruptly, ending the conversation. "Anyways, I went to-"

"The Library," Ron and Harry said in unison.

"Yes," Hermione said slightly shocked.

"Was your study partner there?" Ron asked as he and Harry smirked to themselves causing Hermione to blush.

"No," She answered matter-of-factly, "he wasn't. But I looked into the 'Half-Blood Prince' in the book and there is no record."

"Good," Harry answered, "Then it's settled. Let's go to the Three Broomsticks then, shall we?" He hinted, watching as Slughorn walked in the door of the pub. "Grab us some butter beers."

Ron followed Harry and Hermione into the pub, starting to wonder (on his own) what was going on amongst them. The three of them used to be close and, although they still did everything together, Ron couldn't help but wonder what was going on between them. After all, Ron had kept his crush for Luna a secret last year, Hermione still wouldn't give out the name of her secret study partner and every time the 'Half-Blood Prince' got brought up, Harry quickly changed the subject. Closing the door behind them to keep the cold breeze from coming into the pub, Ron couldn't help but ponder on his own when exactly everything had gone to secrecy.

"Three butter beers," Harry told the barkeep, bringing Ron back to Earth as the three of them sat down in the pub. He noticed Harry's eyes quickly meeting with Draco Malfoy's, only for Draco to turn away quickly and go behind a closed door.

"What was that about mate?" Ron asked, looking at the closed door.

"I have no idea," Harry answers, "but I don't like it."

"It shouldn't surprise you." Ron says, looking around the room. "He's always been a creepy bloke. Besides-" Suddenly, his eyes land on Ginny in a dark corner of the room. He snarled in disgust at her holding hands with fellow teammate Dean Thomas. "Oh," He said in disgust. "I'm ready to go."

"We just got here," Harry said as Hermione turned around, looking in the direction Ron was looking.

"They are only holding hands Ron," She said as Ginny's mouth came in contact with Dean's, obvious movements being seen in their jawlines. "And...ummm...snogging." She said uncomfortably as she shifted in her chair, turning back around and taking a huge gulp of her butter beer.

"I want to leave," Ron repeats sternly.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"He's snogging my sister." Ron answers.

"So, if she saw you snogging me would you expect her to just get up and leave?" Hermione answers taking another rather large drink of her butter beer while Harry got into yet another conversation with Slughorn and Ron returned to his own private thoughts. He couldn't see snogging Hermione, not really. Sure she was smart, bloody brilliant in fact, but he could just see her being the type to correct him on his kissing. 'No no, you're doing it all wrong,' a voice in his head, Hermione's voice, said as he imagined kissing her, causing him to shake his head. No, he definitely couldn't try dating someone else like Hermione. They were best friends. It would just make everything awkward.

The trio sat there, enjoying their butter beers as the discussed everything from Malfoy possibly being a Death Eater to Quidditch to the ever-returning conversation of the 'Half-Blood Prince', neither Luna or Lavender's name ever being mentioned. As they left, Hermione obviously slightly tipsy from the three butter beers she had had, Ron looked over to the corner where he had seen Ginny earlier only to see that she was still sitting there snogging Dean and snarled his nose.

Walking out into the snowy weather, Hermione leans on both Harry and Ron to keep herself upright as she swayed back and forth, talking to the two of them about anything that happened to come to her tipsy mind, mostly things she had read in books until they heard a loud scream. Hermione quickly sobers up by the scream as the trio runs over to one of their House's Quidditch Players, Katie Bell floating through the air, the look on her face that of a possession and a necklace lying on the ground.

"I told her not to touch it." Her friend LeeAnn said, looking at the necklace. "I told her not to take it to him but she wouldn't listen."

Ron looked down at the opal necklace as Katie fell back down to the ground and he knew this was going to be another odd year.

Later on that night, after the trio was thoroughly questioned by Professor McGonagall and finding out that Katie Bell had in fact been cursed and would be sent to St. Mungos for treatment, Ron and Harry relaxed in their dormitories, enjoying the company of Seamus and Neville. Dean was out with Ginny, much to Ron's discomfort, and so it was just the four of them.

"I'm sick of this," Seamus hollered, hitting the Wizard's Chess board sending it flying across the room while Harry and Neville sat on Harry's bed watching.

"You're a sore loser." Ron answered, leaning back against the pillow on his own bed. "It's not my fault."

"And it's not my fault you cheat." Seamus answers hotly.

"I didn't cheat!" Ron says back, "You just aren't that good."

"I am plenty good," Seamus yells back. "When I'm not playing against a bloody cheater."

"Okay you guys," Harry answers, standing up. "Come on. Stop arguing. It's only a game."

"Would be a better game if someone wasn't cheating." Seamus huffed under his breath.

"I'm not cheating!" Ron bellowed back.

"A'ight. Prove it then." Seamus said, a smirk on his face. "A race."

"A race?!" Harry and Neville both asked at the same time.

"Seamus, it's nearly eleven." Neville said, looking out the elongated window in their dormitories. "You two can't fly out there."

"We can." Seamus answered, "Nothing Lumos can't fix."

"And you will blow your bloody eyebrows off." Ron answered, not really wanting to race Seamus anyway.

"Then yer a cheater." Seamus said, eying Ron.

"Fine," Ron said, standing up. "Grab your broom. Meet me at the Astronomy Tower in twenty minutes." Quickly he stormed out of the room, Harry not far behind him.

"Racing from the Astronomy Tower?" Harry asked as they walked down the deserted corridor. "Are you mad?"

"He is," Ron answered, "And I will not be called a cheater."

"And what's going to happen if he wins?" Harry asked, knowing this was probably going to be a night-long argument.

"His broom will likely explode first." Ron said with a snort of a laugh, causing Harry too to laugh.

"Hello Ronald," Said a voice from one of the empty corridors they had passed, stopping Ron dead in his tracks and wiping the smile off of his face. The voice was dreamy and distant. It was deathly familiar and sent a rock down to the pit of his stomach as he turned around, facing where the voice came from only to see the girl with the long blonde hair, her radish earrings dangling from her ears as she wore her bottle cap necklace, a pink sweater, dark red skirt and blue stockings. "Where are you headed?" She asks, tilting her head softly to the side.

"We...umm...we were...ugh..." Ron said, tripping over his words. Harry could see the nervousness covering his best mates face as he stepped in, filling in the blanks that Ron had left with umm's and ugh's.

"We were going up to the Astronomy Tower Luna." Answered Harry, "Just going to see the stars."

"That's nice," The girl answered, sending a chill down Ron's spine as he thought about less than a year prior when she had said the same thing after he had kissed her for the first time. "I guess I should let you two go then. Congratulations by the way on making Keeper Ronald. When is the first game?"

"Ne...Next Tuesday." Ron answered, a stutter still lingering in his voice as he did nothing but stare at the girl in front of him.

"Okay," She answered, skipping off away from them down the corridor where she had came from.

"What the bloody hell was she doing up here this late at night?" Ron asks, looking at Harry.

"I don't know," Harry said, continuing to walk towards the Astronomy Tower. "But I don't try to question it anymore. It's Luna."

"Yea," Ron answered, deep in his own thoughts. Just when he thought he was starting to get over the distant answers, the way her voice rang out to him innocent and pure. Just when Ron thought maybe he could go a few days without thinking of Luna, she skipped back into his sight, back into his mind and made him all fuzzy-brained again.

Harry could feel the awkward silence in the air as the two boys walked up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower and couldn't help but want to fill it with something, anything to get Ron talking again. "Still haven't moved on?" He asked, unsure what else to say.

"She's just...brilliant mate." Ron answered, "And I know I need to try dating someone else but..."

"But what?" Harry asked, looking at him. "Ron, it has been nearly six months."

"I know," Ron answered, dragging his feet up the stairs.

"So make your move. Either ask for her back or..."

"I can't..." Ron answers, "Not yet. I have to date someone else first."

"Who?!" Harry asked, "Who are you even thinking about dating?!"

"Lavender?" Ron asked, nearly questioning the thought himself.

"You are going to date Lavender Brown?!" Harry said, trying to hold back a snort of laughter.

"Well, yea." Ron answered as they got to the top of the Astronomy Tower, Seamus and Neville already waiting.

"I told him this was a bad idea Harry," Neville says, shaking his head. "I told him they should just play another round of Wizard's Chess but-"

"I know," Harry answered as Ron got on his broom and Seamus got on his.

"Lumos!" Both boys said, carefully placing their wands in their left hand so they could guide their brooms with their right. The sky was cloudy, nearly too cloudy and neither the moon nor the stars could shine through the blanket that the clouds had placed, leaving the sky pitch black except for the dim light the wands gave off.

"Two rounds around the castle and back here wins. On the count of three," Harry said as the boys got ready. "One, Two, Three!"

With that, both boys flew past Harry, zooming quickly around the corners of the castle. They fought against each other, both competitive and determined to win, as they flew on, occasionally throwing an elbow in the others direction or cutting the other person off with the tail end of their own broom. They both knew better than to cast spells, this just being a way to win an argument. They weren't trying to hurt each other in the process.

Ron sped forward, Seamus losing sight of him as Ron circled around another corner of the castle, flying above the Green Houses. He was in the lead and couldn't help but grin as he passed by the Astronomy Tower the first time. It wasn't until he started to make his second round that he noticed Seamus had still not even begun to catch up to him. Ron turns around, looking behind him momentarily as he went over the Green Houses again, only to see a puff of grey smoke barely floating through the light of his wand.

"Seamus?" He whispered to himself, turning his wand around and flying it down towards the ground wondering what had happened. It wasn't until he got closer to the ground that Ron saw Seamus's broom, the tail end of it smokey and charred in a tree, a scratched up Seamus a few branches lower.

"I think I flew too low." Seamus groans, grabbing his stomach where he had hit a branch full-force. "The Agility Spell probably didn't help either." He said with a painful smile. "Seeing how it caught me broom on fire."

Ron couldn't help but laugh as he helped Seamus climb on the back of his own broom, Seamus groaning in pain as he grabbed onto Ron. Ron flew slowly as they headed back up to the Astronomy Tower. The next few hours were spent in the Hospital Ward with questioning on how the incident occurred, only to end in all four boys getting twenty points a piece deducted and Seamus having to stay overnight.

"Guess I'm not a cheater." Ron said tired and gloomy as they walked back to the Common Room.

"Guess not." Harry answered.


	17. Liquid Lucky

**A/N: On our forum, a Hogwarts Roleplaying Forum, we are still in need of a Pansy Parkinson, Neville Longbottom, Gregory Goyle, Cho Chang, and many other characters. We need someone who can post for at least one scene a month. Please PM me if you are interested. **

Ron stood there nervously in the doorway of the Great Hall, already decked out in his Quidditch uniform. He could feel his legs shaking with every step that he took.

"Good Luck Ron," A Hufflepuff told him, patting his back.

"Let 'em have it Ron." A Gryffindor that Ron vaguely recognized as being a few years older than himself, said in passing.

"I can't do this." Ron whined as he sat down across from Hermione and Harry. He tried keeping his hands still from shaking as he looked down at his breakfast, about ready to get sick. "I just...I can't."

"It's only a game Ron." Hermione answered before looking at the doorway, holding her breath as Luna walked over sitting next to Ron with a roaring lion's head, to support Gryffindor, on her head.

"Hello," She said, looking around at the group as if she always sat there. "The game is today Ronald." Her soft voice sang to him, causing his hands to shake even more.

"I'm doomed." He whimpered softly to himself, avoiding eye contact with Luna.

"You aren't doomed," Hermione answers as Harry pushes a glass of pumpkin juice towards him.

"Here," Harry said, handing Ron the glass. "Drink this."

"That's interesting Harry," Luna answers, "What did you slip in his drink?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as Harry smirked.

"Nothing," Harry answers with a devious grin.

"Yes you did," Hermione answers, "You put the liquid luck in there." She said, figuring it out. "Ron, don't drink it. It's cheating."

Ron stared down at his pumpkin juice momentarily, debating on whether or not it was worth risking getting kicked off the team to know that he had at least one good game. The four of them were the only ones who knew that he was going to drink it, after all and the only way he would get kicked off the team was if a professor found out. How could they find out? In all honesty, with only the four of them knowing, it was impossible. Quickly, he gulps down the Pumpkin Juice noticing there wasn't a change in flavor and yet, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe there wasn't supposed to be.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron stood up, now feeling as though he could take on the world. "I have to go. I have a match to win."

"Good luck Ronald," Luna said happily as Ron walked past, causing his stomach to drop at the sound of her voice.

"That was cheating Harry," Hermione warned.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry answered, putting the vial in his pocket.

"You do," Hermione growled. "You can't give him that just to win the match."

"I didn't give him anything," Harry answers as he stood up, following Ron out of the Great Hall.

As the game roared on, students from all four houses cheering in the stands, Ron had never felt his confidence be so high. Each Quaffle that was sent his way viciously got blocked. Some were harder than others, requiring him to use different body parts in order to block them but Ron felt as though at that moment he could rule the world, face Voldermort head on by himself. He listened as the crowd cheered on "Weasley is our king!", causing him to gleam with pride as he went up to the left post, blocking another Quaffle, then to the right quickly, blocking it again as the Slytherins kept poorly attempting goals around him. Never in his life had he felt so powerful, so in charge as he did right now, hearing the crowd scream out his name until Harry finally caught the Snitch.

The crowd cheered on at the Gryffindor victory as Ron flew down to where Harry was, only to see his sister flying off in a different direction. He looked up at her confused, wondering what had gotten into her until finally her broom hit right below the commentator's stand, causing it to crash down in a pile of rubble, leaving the crowd cheering for more as Ron's already smile covered face beamed with pride for his little sister.

"Sorry Professor, forgot to use the brakes." She said in a nervous voice, making it sound nearly believable to Professor McGonagall as she walked past.

"That was bloody brilliant." Ron says, smacking Ginny on the back.

"Yea well," Ginny answers with a shrug as she looks over at Zacharias laying on the rubble moaning. "Serves him right for his commentary. 'Weasley's bound to get lucky sometime." She mocked, rolling her eyes. "That's what happens."

Ron smiled at his sister as she ran over to Dean, hugging him tightly. "Did you see that?!" She asked him, causing Ron to snarl his nose in disgust as Dean dipped Ginny, kissing her passionately.

"You can't control them." Harry answered with a sigh, looking at the couple.

"No, but I could hex him." Ron snarls back, shaking his head as members of the crowd headed down towards the Pitch.

"You were brilliant Ron." Lavender cooed, her blonde ringlets waving in the wind as Ron smiled back at her.

"Umm...thanks." He answered softly with an embarrassed smile.

"Party in the Gryffindor Common Room!" Seamus hollered out into the crowd, causing at uproar from the Gryffindors as they all headed back to their Common Room to holler and celebrate.

"Are you going to?" Harry asked Ron, looking in front of them through the crowd at Lavender.

"I don't know mate." Ron answers, "But I'm still feeling lucky."

The party was crazy, everyone screaming and carrying on. As the music blared, streamers fell from the ceiling in beautiful reds and golds. Ron stood up on the table, causing everyone to cheer, chanting out "Weasley is our King!" And he felt on top of the world.

"You shouldn't have done it." Hermione tells Harry as she watches Ron gleaming with pride. Softly, Harry reaches in his pocket pulling out the full vial. "You didn't put it in." She said softly, causing Harry to nod. "Ron only thought you did." She said, looking back up at him.

"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" They chanted on, causing Ron to grin with pride. He had never felt so lucky in his life. Sure, they had probably done the same chant years ago for Bill or Charlie, but never for Ron. This was exactly what he had imagined when looking into the Mirror of Erised five years ago. This right here. He looked around at the crowd, in awe of it all and nearly felt like he was soaring through the clouds. Suddenly, he felt a pull on his hand from behind him, turning him around and making him get off of the table. Before he knew it, his lips were on Lavender's in a deep kiss as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling her thin body against his. Her kiss was nothing like Luna's, hard and demanding but he still couldn't fight off the butterflies it left him with. He heard all the hoots and hollers in the background as he continued to explore Lavender's mouth, feeling her own tongue against his in a battle for dominance.

Hermione couldn't help but stare, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable as she ran out of the room. She couldn't help but feel the want, the need, to do the same thing with her own secret crush, to do the same things she had once done before. Turning around quickly to get away from the party, to get away from the pain it caused her to see Ron kissing Lavender, she runs directly into Dean's chest, who was standing behind her.

"Dean..." She said softly, looking over at Ginny standing next to him. "I...I'm sorry." She said quickly, running out the door. It took her a while to get away from the sounds coming from the Common Room, her finally finding an empty classroom that she could hide in. The tears fall from her eyes, her not even holding them back as she sobbed out onto the desk, her head resting on her arms.

"Hermione?" She heard a soft female voice sing out, looking in the door. "Are you okay?"

Looking up Hermione saw Luna standing there, her hair falling freely down her back, wearing a blue sweater, her turnip earrings, a red skirt and purple tights. Her feet were barefoot again, as always. Luna stood there, looking at Hermione with her face that of constant dreaminess as she tilted her head, walking closer.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting down in a chair next to Hermione.

"You...you didn't hear..." Hermione answered, "Ron...Ron just kissed Lavender." She said, trying to make it sound as though that were the reason for her tears.

"That's nice," Luna answers, "I suppose I saw it coming though. Lavender did always rather like Ron." She said, thinking about it.

"It...it don't bo...bother you?" Hermione asked, choking back the tears.

Luna shrugs softly, "No worse than it bothers you whenever Ginny is with Dean, I suppose."

Hermione can only stare at Luna, her mouth dropping open. "You knew?" She asked, gaining a whole new level of respect for Luna for not telling anyone.

"It was rather obvious." Luna answers, "You two were both always gone at meals." She said lightly, "The things we love have a way of coming back to us though." She says softly. "If they love us in return." With that, Luna walked out of the classroom, leaving Hermione alone again with her thoughts. Hermione fought back the urge to cry as long as possible, eventually giving in to them as she placed her head back on the desk, sobbing once more. She heard as the door opened again, not even bothering to look up as she heard someone come in and sit down beside her.

"Hermione?" She heard Harry's familiar voice say softly as he sat down beside her while birds flew around above her head, imitating her sorrow in their calm song. "What's with the birds?" He asked softly.

Hermione looked away, ashamed that she had been caught once again crying. "Charms spell." She says through choked back tears. "I was just practicing."

Harry softly wraps his arm around Hermione, comforting her as she fought back the urge to cry into his shoulder.

"How does it feel Harry," She says, her voice choking. "When you see...Dean with Ginny..."

Suddenly Ron and Lavender burst through the door, Lavender hanging tightly to Ron's arm as she giggled happily. "Guess this room is taken," She says with a laugh, trying to pull Ron back out of the room.

"Hermione," Ron says as he looks at one of his best friends being comforted by the other. "What's wrong?"

Hermione feels as her blood boils. It boils at the thought of Luna, who was just in the room comforting her, and how Ron was kissing Lavender instead. It boiled at the thought of Dean and Ginny, of how less than a year ago it was Hermione that he was kissing. It was Hermione that he drew his pictures of in his notepad, focusing on the details of her face, the way her chin curved and her cheekbones arched. How now it was Ginny that he drew pictures of while she studied for her O.W.L.S. and ate in the Great Hall. Hermione couldn't help it as she felt the emotions overwhelming her.

"Oppungo." She said, sending the birds flying after Ron. Quickly he dodged them, them hitting the wall behind him and bursting into nothing more than fluffs of feathers. Ron looks at the wall before turning around and looking back at Hermione, following Lavender out of the room and leaving Hermione alone with Harry and her emotions.

She thought the birds would help, instead just reminding her once more of how alone she was as she softly goes back to crying on Harry's shoulder.

"It feels...it feels like this." Harry answers as he holds Hermione, allowing her to cry.


	18. Slug Ball Set-Up

**A/N: Sorry for the post and delete on this chapter earlier this week. I posted it and as I was reading it realized that it wasn't quite as complete as I wanted so had to retake it off of the site to finish it. Reviews are wonderful. **

The following morning, Ron couldn't help but smile from ear to ear as he walked down the corridors of Hogwarts, his backpack slung across his shoulder.

"I don't know why she's so mad," He said to Harry, who was simply walking along to be a listening ear. "I mean, it's not exactly like she likes me and Luna gave me the okay. I mean...what me and Lavender have," Ron continues, trying to take his mind off of Luna at all. "It's chemical. Brilliant really. Will it last forever? Who knows. All I know is that I'm a free agent. I can do what I like." Harry watched and listened, only able to smirk at the words Ron said. He couldn't help but feel as though he were the odd one out as his two best friends had stopped talking, both of them falling in love with other people, trying to date. Harry couldn't help but feel odd about it all.

A few weeks later as Harry followed Hermione around the library and the two of them discussed the Slug Ball, a brilliant thought came to Harry's head.

"I WAS going to invite Ron, you know." She said matter-of-factly. "I mean, I assume he can snog whoever he likes. Luna really don't mind so why should I? Was I under the impression we would be going together to the Slug Ball? Yes. But, now I have had to make other arrangements."

"Have you?" Harry asked, the words catching his breath.

"Yes," Hermione answers, putting a book away. "Why?"

"Well, I was kind of thinking...since neither of us had anyone to go with, we could go together?" Harry says softly.

Hermione let out a heavy sigh. "Why didn't I think of that..." She said, her voice frustrated.

"Well who are you going with?" Harry asked her, curiosity getting the best of him.

"It's a surprise." Hermione answered uncomfortably, "Besides, it's you that I'm worried about. Girls from everywhere have been talking about going to the Slug Ball with you."

"They have?!" Harry asked, not used to women flaunting over him. "Like...like who?"

"That one over there for one," Hermione answered, causing Harry to look behind Hermione's shoulder at the dark skinned girl behind her staring at him. Her hair lay in nearly black ringlets, falling beautifully around her face and her eyes held a deep deep brown color. "She's been talking about sneaking a love potion in to you."

"She...she is?" Harry asked, looking once more at the girl. She wasn't bad looking, in fact she was quite beautiful in a not-quite-Ginny sort of way.

"Focus Harry," Hermione said, "She thinks you are the Chosen One. She wants to be your date for bragging rights."

Harry couldn't help but smirk, "But I am the Chosen One," He said, earning himself a quick hit on the head. "Right, well don't worry." He said, thinking about it. "I'll...I'll ask somebody to the Ball...Someone I like...Someone cool."

And now Harry stood, watching as Luna sat out on the snow-covered ground by the lake. He held his breath as he went out there, sitting down next to her. Never did he feel so intimidated by a woman, by any woman, and this was Luna. Luna Lovegood. She should be easy enough to ask, he told himself as he looked out at the lake, never once glancing at her.

"Hello Harry," Luna said softly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Umm...yea. Bit cold though. What are you doing out here in the snow?" Harry asked wondering.

"It's a great place to sit and think." She answered distantly, "Don't have to worry about the wrackspurts hiding in the mistletoe. Ronald and I came out here once." She said softly, "Now it makes me think of him."

Harry shifted awkwardly in his spot in the snow, looking anywhere but at Luna. With the thought of Ron on her mind he thought surely she would say no to his asking her but at this point he could scarcely think of anyone else who he could really ask. "So uh...how are you handling the uh...time apart?" Harry asked nervously.

"It's not any different really," Luna said dreamily. "I get to spend more time with the Threstrals. They had a new colt this winter, you know?"

"That's nice." Harry replied surprised to hear one of her favorite phrases coming out of his own mouth. Maybe they weren't so different. With that thought in mind plucking up his courage Harry asked, "So the reason I'm here is...umm there's this thing that Professor Slughorn's doing...its kind of a mini Yule Ball and were allowed to bring a date and I was wondering...well since you and Ron are...would you want to..."

"I really don't think of you that way Harry." She answered, watching as the snowflakes fell around them. "No offense really. You are just...extrodinarly average. Unless you wanted to go as friends of course."

"No no no...I mean yes go as friends. I didn't mean the two of us date or anything I know your Ron's gir-...were Ron's girlfriend. I just meant as friends. I would really appreciate it Luna." Harry said blushing at the thought of him and Luna dating. No that wasn't a good idea at all. With Ron being his best mate and him just now starting to get over Luna dating her was most definitely the farthest thing from his mind.

"That's nice. I can go then." Luna answers with a smile. "I really don't dance much though, but going would be nice. What should I wear?" She couldn't help but get slightly excited. She had secretly hoped that Ronald would have invited her to the Yule Ball two years ago and when he hadn't, she had kept the dress anyway, just for this kind of occasion. "Will there be pudding?"

"Umm...sure. I guess. As far as what to wear I'll be wearing my dress robes so a nice dress to match perhaps?" Harry asked feeling relieved that she agreed to go. He had no idea about women's fashion especially in the wizarding world with his only occasion to see women dressed up had been the Yule ball two years prior. With Cho and Hermione being the only two girls he really interacted with at the ball including his date he found dresses to be the attire of choice.

"Okay," Luna answers happily, before looking up at the sky. "I can't wait."

"Thank you. For going with me I mean. Hermione will be there too so there will be people we know." Harry said. He wondered if he was supposed to get her anything like a corsage or the like...

"That's nice," Luna said again. "Although I don't think Hermione is very happy with me right now. Not since I broke up with Ronald."

Harry had forgotten with all the drama of their breakup that Hermione had sided with Ron which was both unusual and reassuring to him for some unknown reason. "Ah yes...Well I'm sure she'll be over it by then." Harry said rubbing the back of his neck with his hand trying to think of a way to soften Hermione up for the coming event. He figured he had better go find her and try to smooth things over. "Okay then, so I'll meet you by the main entrance then?" Harry asked rising to his feet.

"Okay," Luna answered, staring up at him with a smile. "Thank you Harry."


	19. My Sweetheart

Ron storms into the Gryffindor Common Room only a few days before they left for Christmas break, fury covering his face causing it to turn a bright red and nearly match his hair in color. He storms up to where Harry sat in his favorite chair, staring deep into the fire in the fireplace, thinking about Sirius and how much he missed seeing his godfather's face in the fire. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!" Ron curses. "I just ran into Dean Thomas. He told me YOU went to Slughorn's Christmas Ball! What the bloody hell!?"

"Yeah...I did..." Harry said confused by Ron's unexpected out burst, trying to figure out what he had done wrong.

"And you took LUNA!" Ron answered furiously. "MY ex-girlfriend!?"

"Yeah...but you broke up with her though," Harry pointed out, reminding him of the truth. "Why does it matter if I took her?"

"Because I dated her!" Ron argues back, trying to hide the fact that he still had feelings for her. "I mean...I didn't try dating Cho!"

"I wasn't trying to date her we went as friends," Harry said getting irritated with him now.

"You still went with her!" Ron argues. "And you took her to a dance! I wouldn't take Cho to a dance, even if we were bloody friends!"

"Ron, what is wrong with you?" Harry exclaimed in bewilderment and a bit irked. So what if he had gone with Luna? He didn't snog her.

"IT WAS LUNA!" Ron yells back, tired of holding the frustration in anymore. Tired of dealing with Lavender calling him 'Won-Won' and constantly hanging on him. Tired of her always snogging him or bragging about how brilliant he was at Quidditch. Ron was tired of seeing Luna walk around, the look on her face distant and dreamy. He was tired of not being able to kiss her, not being able to smell the honeysuckle on her skin or have her tell him that she loved how extraordinarily average he was. He was tired of being 'brilliant' and 'Won-Won'. He wanted Luna back. "That's what's wrong!"

"Tell her then!" Harry said done dealing with his childish behaviors.

"Tell her WHAT?!" Ron yells back. "That I don't want her going to anymore parties with you?! I can't exactly tell her that mate! We aren't together!"

"Tell her that you still like her!" He said yelling back, "This is ridiculous! Why didn't you ask her yourself!"

"That's brilliant Harry! I can SO ask Luna to a Christmas Party that I wasn't even invited to because I'm not 'good enough' to be in it or something like that. And how would Lavender take that? She would never let me live it down!" He argues back.

"Break up?" He said shrugging.

Ron sighed, sitting down on the couch. "I can't." He answers, "I just...I don't know how to tell her. You know, I haven't gone a day without snogging her in over a month! My bloody lips are chapped! They should not be this chapped! Look!" He said, leaning in closer to Harry.

"Umm yeah...chapped...I see," Harry said awkwardly. He told him that she was a bit off but Ron seemed so in infatuated at first.

"How do I tell her that she is bloody annoying? That my name is not 'Won-Won'?" He says with a sigh, putting his head in his hands.

"Just tell her to stop it...I guess..." Harry said slowly and unsure.

"Maybe she will find someone else over Christmas." Ron says, more to himself than Harry. "Maybe we just need time apart for my lips to take a break."

* * *

"Won-Won, I'm going to miss you SO much! Promise you'll write me! Every day!" Lavender coo'ed, holding onto Ron's arm as he stood there, waiting to board the train. He couldn't speak as Harry looked at him with pity, only nodding his head. "Oh! Thank you Won-Won! I'll be waiting every day to get your letters."

"Brilliant." Ron answers as they get on the train. Quickly he tries to lose Lavender in the crowd, going into a compartment and sitting next to Harry. "Think I got away from her?!" He asks, his voice desperate and hopeful.

"Don't look like it." Harry answers as Lavender appears in the window of the compartment door blowing her warm breath onto it to make steam.

"Oh bloody hell!" Ron curses, waiting for her to tackle him for more snogging as Harry tries to appear distracted with the train seat as Lavender starts to draw on the window. She carefully draws out 'R+L' enclosing it with a heart and drawing an arrow through it before blowing more steam on the window. Ron can't help but smile weakly in fright and disgust.

As she mouths the words "I miss you," She walks on, leaving the two boys in the compartment alone once more. Ron looked at Harry, who simply looked down at his feet in defeat.

"I can't take it anymore!" Ron finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "All she wants to do is snog me. My lips are still chapped! Look!" Ron says, leaning in closer to Harry once more.

"Yea. I'll take your word for it." Harry answers as they see another figure walk by the compartment. Luna looks in through the 'R+L' through her spectrespecs, holding the Quibbler tightly in her hands. She looks through the letters at Ron before walking on.

"Brilliant." He mumbles under his breath. "Guess Luna knows."

"How could Luna not know!" Hermione answers with frustration, opening the compartment door. "All you two have been doing is snogging Ron and you are doing nothing but breaking Luna's heart! It is wrong and...and vile." She said harshly, causing Ron to look down at his feet. "This needs to stop...NOW!" She said, storming off, leaving the two alone in the compartment once more.

As Ron woke up Christmas morning, a fantastic scent filled the Burrow. It wasn't a normal Christmas Day scent but one that left his mouth watering. He couldn't help but wonder what his mum could possibly be cooking to nearly leave the taste in his mouth. Climbing out of bed, he got dressed and headed downstairs. The closer he got to the kitchen, the more his mouth started to water and as he stepped down on the bottom step, he finally heard a familiar giggle, making his stomach drop.

"Gingerbread keeps the nargles away, you know?" The voice says softly, causing Ron to swear under his breath.

"I didn't." Ginny answers as the twins come up behind Ron at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well," Fred said with a grin.

"Go in there!" George answers, shoving Ron into the kitchen.

"Oh, hello Ronald." Luna says softly, "Father was making Plimpy Soup for Christmas. We think one of the Gulping Plimpies got out and broke our oven though. Ginny said I could make our Christmas cookies here."

Harry was already sitting down at the kitchen table, looking up at Ron with pity as Ron sat down beside him, trying to avoid any conversation with his sister or Luna, who pulled another tray of cookies out of the oven, the tip of her nose covered in flour.

"Are you finished with that?" Ron asked, pointing at the Daily Prophet in front of Harry, who nodded a silent response.

"But the Chudley Cannons are cut out again." Harry answers, knowing that's what Ron was looking for as Ron gently put the Daily Prophet back down on the table.

"You have a package." Ginny says, handing Ron a small box. Quickly he looked at Harry before opening it, unsure of what he would find. Inside the box sat a gold chain with gold letters spelling out 'My Sweetheart'.

"It's hideous." Ron said, closing the box. "This has to be a joke, she can't possibly think that...I'd...I'd wear that." He says in disgust.

"I think it looks nice." Harry says with a smirk as Ginny giggles embarrassed, looking at Harry before breaking eye contact. "You should wear it. In front of Fred and George."

"If you tell them, I'll- I'll-"

"You'll stutter at me?!" Harry asks with a smile.

"I think it looks nice. Thank you for letting me use your kitchen Ginny." Luna says gracefully, gathering up her cookies as she walked out the door.


	20. These Women Are Going To Kill Me

**A/N: Okay, I am getting tired of annoying Lavender so I know you guys are too. LOL. Here we go. No more Lavender.**

January and February passed by with little more or little less than annoyance from Ron as Lavender continued to get more and more needy. She seemed to get more and more demanding of Ron, suddenly getting jealous of him talking to Hermione, on the rare occasion that they did talk anymore, and especially Luna, who often-times made up excuses just to see Ron.

As Harry walked into the boys dormitory on the first of March, Ron's birthday, his mind traveled back to the conversation he had held with Slughorn. The man had appeared to be unwilling to give up anything even referencing to what he had told Tom Riddle years prior. The professor didn't seem the slightest bit willing to budge on confessing anything to Harry, despite his desperate attempts and Dumbledore's urges for Harry to keep pushing Slughorn for the information. As he walked into the boys dormitories, trying to distract himself, he saw a box of chocolate wrappers on Ron's bed as Ron sat on the floor, staring out the window at the moon. A smile covered his face from ear to ear.  
"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked trying not to laugh at the goofy expression on Ron's face.

"It's beautiful." Ron says softly, looking up at the moon. He couldn't place why it was so beautiful or what made him think it was, Ron only knew he had never seen anything as pretty as the moon in his life. "Isn't the moon beautiful?!"

"Um..Yeah completely gorgeous," Harry said half sarcastically. "Have ourselves a little late night snack, did we?"

"Yea, they were just sitting on the floor. I figured I'd help myself, that you wouldn't mind. They smelt like honeysuckle!" Ron snickers out. "I can't stop thinking about her Harry."

"I can see why." Harry answers, sitting on his own bed. "After Lavender, anyone is sane."

"Of course she's sane." Ron answered, sitting next to Harry a bit too close. "I'm in love Harry." He said with a distant gaze. "Do you think she knows I exist?"

"Yeah...I mean you did well...you know with her last year," He said assuming that he meant Luna. Maybe they made up somehow. Maybe that was why Ron was acting so weird.

"I did?!" Ron asks, trying to place where he had seen the woman the year before. "When?!"

"Yeah...wait...who are you talking about?" Harry said concerned and realizing Ron meant someone else.

"Romilda Vane." Ron answered, his face serious. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Ron must have heard Harry and Hermione talking in the library. This had to be Ron's way of getting back at Harry for taking Luna to the Slug Ball. Leave it to Ron to come up with a way of getting back at him three months later, but that had to be what it was.

"Okay, very funny Ron." He says with a laugh, standing up to pick up the chocolates as Ron throws the chocolate box at him. "What was that for?!" Harry asked, knowing the joke had gone too far.

"It's no joke." Ron says, nearly emotional now. "I'm in love with her!"

"Alright, Alright." Harry agrees, trying to figure out what was going through his best mate's head. "You're in love with her. Have you ever actually met her?"

"No," Ron answers dreamily. "Can you introduce me?" As Ron wandered back over to the window and stared at the moon, he tried to figure out what was drawing him to it. It glowed, but not quite like Romilda's eyes. Nor like her hair really. Her hair was too dark to remind him of the moon.

Harry tried to make sense of what Ron was saying. He was in love with Romilda? Like honestly thought he was in love with her? And he hadn't met her yet? Harry looked down at his feet, trying to figure out what had gotten into his best friend before seeing the chocolate box. As he picked it up, a note fell out. 'Harry,' It read, 'Thinking loving thoughts of you. Love, Romilda.' Suddenly, it clicked in his head. The chocolates he had found on his bed earlier that year, right before the Slug Ball. Hermione had warned him of Romilda slipping him a potion so he didn't touch them but didn't know of a good way to dispose of them and now here Ron was-. Harry looked back up at his best mate as he gazed out the window.

"Romilda..." Ron says lovingly.

"Come on Ron," Harry says quickly. "I am going to go introduce you to Romilda Vane."

"Okay!" Ron answered happily, following Harry like a lost puppy out of the room, through the Common Room and into the corridors.

"Do you think she loves me too?" Ron asked dreamily, looking around for Romilda.

"Yeah...probably," Harry lied again quickening his pace down the corridor.

"Won-Won!" Lavender yelled, grabbing Ron's hand. "Come on Won-Won," She snickered playfully. "I have something I want to show you...and only you."

"Get off me!" Ron said pulling away from her annoyingly, "I love Romilda and I must find her to confess my love for her." Harry slapped his forehead and shook his head."Come on Harry. Let me meet Romilda." Ron said hopefully.

"What!?" Lavender shrieked in shock as her eyes began to water. She slapped Ron before running off.

Ron snorted a laugh. "What's her problem?" He asked, the smile never disappearing.

Harry shook his head before pulling Ron down the corridors towards the dungeons.

"Why would Romilda be this way?" Ron asked.

"Because she wanted to meet you here," Harry answered reassuringly.

"Odd place for us to meet." Ron said, looking around at the walls before shrugging off the thought.

Harry knocked on the door hoping that Slughorn was there.

"Who is it?!" Slughorn asked at the door, opening the peek hole. "I already told you Harry, I am busy. I can't talk tonight."

"I'm sorry sir, I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't absolutely necessary but I...I have an issue..." He said gesturing to Ron.

"Is Romilda in there?!" Ron asked, "Is he holding her from me?" He drew out his wand quickly becoming angry. "I'll fight for her if I have to." He says boldly. "I'll protect you Romilda!" He hollers into the room past Slughorn.

"What's wrong with Wing-bee?" Slughorn asked confused.

"It was a love potion." Harry whispers. "And I think it was strong."

Slughorn led the boys inside of the room, "It seems to be," He said looking Ron over. "Surely you could brew up a potion like this in no time Harry."

"I thought this called for more practiced hands sir." Harry answers as Ron creeps up behind Slughorn, wrapping his arms around him.

"Hello darling." Ron says with a grin. "How about a drink?"

"Perhaps you are right." Slughorn answered, obviously uncomfortable. "Here you go my boy, bottoms up." He told Ron, handing him a glass of red liquid that looked similar to firewhiskey.

"What's this?" Ron asked with curiousity.

"Tonic. For the nerves." Slughorn answered, "Don't want to get shaky hands when you meet your dream girl."

Ron quickly took the drink, gulping it down as the goofy smile wiped off of his face, the potion kicking in instantly. "What happened?" He answered, looking from Harry to Slughorn. "I feel really...bad."

"You need a pick-me-up my boy." Slughorn answers, pouring three glasses of mead. "I had other intentions for this one but considering the circumstances, I think it will do." He says, handing each boy a glass and keeping one for himself. "Cheers," He said happily, as him and Harry clink their glasses together, Ron quickly downing his and falling to the ground.

Slughorn couldn't help but stare in confusion as Ron seizures on the floor, foam coming out of his mouth.

"He's been poisoned." Harry says, running up to Ron quickly before going over to Slughorn's storage. What did the Half-Blood Prince say in his book? What did he say? Harry stood there, trying to remember. He looked through the drawers desperately, trying to remember what it was. Maybe if he saw the word written down somewhere, it would click in his head, he told himself as he opened up a drawer.

_Bezoar_

That's what it was. That is what the Half-Blood Prince had told him to use. Quickly he grabs one as Slughorn stands there, his face white with fear as Harry took the bezoar and shoved it into Ron's mouth, forcing his mouth closed. The bezoar absorbed the poison slowly in his mouth as Harry waited impatiently, shaking Ron every once in a while for a response. Ron sat up, gasping for air as Harry took a step back, leaning against the couch and letting Ron catch his breath.

"These girls..." Ron whispers, "They're going to kill me."

It was Slughorn who had recommended Ron going to the Hospital Wing afterwards. "Just in case Reginald." He said, watching to make sure Ron didn't pass out again as they walked to the Hospital Wing.

"Lay down. Lay down." Madam Pomfrey ordered, pulling a bed over to Ron as she looked him over and he felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Eventually, Ron just allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

"Is he going to be okay?!" He heard Hermione's voice cry out as he felt the familiar comfort of her hand on his.

"Madam Pomfrey says he should be fine." Harry answered. "That the bezoar saved his life."

"It was very smart of you to use that Harry." Luna's voice says distantly. "I wouldn't have thought to."

"I just remembered what the Half-" Harry starts as Hermione quickly interrupts him.

"Harry, really! The Half-Blood Prince again?! I wish you would just turn that book in! One of these days whatever the '_Half-Blood Prince'_ says is going to get you into serious trouble."

"It saved Ron's life this time, didn't it?" Harry argues back, not ready to give up his book.

Ron heard as the door opened and closed and another voice came in. "Where is he? Where is my Won-Won?! I came as soon as I heard!" The voice said, Ron recognizing it immediately.

"I should get going." He heard Luna's voice say softly before the door opened and closed again, leaving Ron nearly disappointed in his sleepful stated.

"Has he been asking for me?!" Lavender's easily recognizable voice asked desperately as Ron felt the comforting hand come off of his own. "What was _Luna _doing here?" She asked, her voice snarling out the Ravenclaw's name, as if it were disgusting. "What is _she_ doing here?" She asked again.

"I could ask you the same question." Hermione answered forcefully, allowing Ron to know who Lavender was referencing to.

"I happen to be his girlfriend." Lavender answers viciously.

"And I happen to be his...friend." Hermione says back, realizing how foolish the words sounded.

"Of course. You two haven't spoken in weeks." Lavender bites back. "Now you want to talk to him. Now that he's all _interesting." _She said, rolling her eyes.

"He's been poisoned you daft dimbo!" Hermione answers back, shocked that Lavender could be so dim. "And for the record, I've always found him interesting."

Ron knew then that he had to tell Hermione. He had to let her know that she was right. That he was foolish to think he could ever try dating someone else to get Luna off his mind. He tried to form the words in his sleep, forcing them out. "Er...my...knee..." He moaned out, hearing Lavender cry as she ran out of the room quickly, the door slamming behind her.

"Ron?!" Hermione said quickly, taking his hand once more.

"You...were...right...Er...my...knee." He says softly, using all the energy he had before falling back into a deep sleep.

* * *

"Mind telling me what I said?" Ron asked a few days later as he looked across the tables at the death glare Lavender was giving him in the Great Hall. "I really don't remember any of it."

"Well...umm...you said some things." Hermione answered, exchanging a glance with Harry.

"Thank god she isn't hexing me." Ron said distantly, never taking his eyes off of Lavender's glare. "What exactly did I say?!"

"Well...just...umm..." Hermione starts, thinking about it. "Some things..."

"Well, I guess I should go apologize then." Ron says, standing up from the table. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the constant glares he was receiving.

"Surely you're not going to apologize to her?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron as though he were foolish. "She has been harassing you for months."

"Not to her." Ron answers, taking a last glance at Lavender before shivering in fear. "To Luna."


	21. Epilouge

Ron knew exactly where to find Luna. She was exactly where she always hid away from everyone else. He watched from a distance as the sunlight danced across her sandy blonde hair through the treetops, casting rays of light around her almost as if the sky was raining down on her. It took Ron's breath away, the sight of her standing there barefoot, her satchel resting on her shoulder as she gazed straight ahead, her head tilted slightly.

With the beauty of it all, a simple beauty that was nothing like Lavender's dolled up perfect curls and up to date fashions, Ron couldn't help but not want to say anything. He took a single step forward towards her back, holding his breath as if even the simplest of sounds could scare her off like one of the beasts she was so interested in. A stick cracked under his foot as he softly placed his foot back down on the ground, causing Luna to turn around quickly.

"Oh, hello Ronald." She said casually. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry." Ron answers, "I just...I wanted to umm...to talk to you." He says, walking up and standing next to her. Clueless as to what to say next, he stared down at his feet. "I dated Lavender after we broke up." He says softly, trying to find the words in his head to explain how he felt.

"I know." Luna answered softly. Of course you knew, Ron thinks to himself as he wondered how he could have been so obvious. The entire school knew. Lavender wouldn't let anyone not know as half the professors had caught them snogging on at least one occasion. "She seemed upset today."

"Yea," Ron says distantly. "We broke up while I was in the Hospital Ward." He says, biting his lip. "So, I'm single now." He said forcing a smile as he wished he had the same ability to talk to women like Fred and George did.

"That's nice." Luna answers, gazing back out at the clearing in the woods before turning back and looking at him again. "Dance with me," She hums out as she put Ron's hand on her hip. He couldn't help but stare at her, the girl was mad wanting to dance here in the Forbidden Forest after months of them forcing even the simplest of conversations and him trying to avoid her while snogging with another woman. He couldn't help but wonder what was really going through the girl's mind as she gazed at him blankly. "It will be rather fun."

"There's no music," He answered, looking around the clearing. He had never danced without music before, had only danced once before and he really didn't count that as dancing, seeing as how it was with Professor McGonagall.

"That's fine." Luna answered softly. Ron couldn't help but wonder what it was about the girl that held his interest. Maybe it was because she didn't find the things that Hermione and Ginny found so utterly disgusting, the way that Ron ate. The fact that, as Hermione had put it so bluntly, he did have the emotional range of a teaspoon, and yet, Luna loved him anyway for it. She embraced it with open arms as if that was simply what made Ron himself.

"We can't dance without music." Ron laughed, looking at her in shock.

"We can," Luna answers softly, placing her head on Ron's shoulder. He was nervous and could only hope Luna couldn't feel him shaking beneath her head. "Just close your eyes." She whispers into his ear. "The music, it surrounds us."

Ron couldn't help but doubt Luna, but did as he was told, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds around him. The crunching of the leaves was the first noise he heard. Quickly, his ears picked up the song that the birds were singing. The fairies resting in a local bush let off their high pitched squeals as they communicated amongst themselves, giving the music Ron was starting to hear a beautiful soprano touch. He tried to focus harder as he listened to the pitter patter of the squirrels playing in the trees, causing the occasional nut to fall down and crash onto the leaves as a bullfrog in the distance gave a familiar bass-like croak. Finally the last noise he heard was the most beautiful as Luna's heart kept the constant beat against his chest.

"I hear it!" Ron exclaimed, opening his eyes in shock. "I hear the music!"

Luna smiled a satisfied smile as she patted her hand on his back. "I told you." She whispers softly. "Now dance with me Ronald."

He couldn't explain what had overcome him as he danced with Luna exactly as Professor McGonagall had taught him.

"One two three. One two three. One two three." He whispers under his breath as he led Luna along their leaf covered dance floor. The sunlight that had once made Luna look nearly angelic now spotlighted them as they danced around, no one to tease them for their love or tell them it was wrong. Ron couldn't help but relax knowing the squirells, birds, and toads were the only ones watching and couldn't tell them they were too odd as a couple. The longer the couple danced, the more into the music Ron got until finally he picked her up, he spun her around as Viktor had done with Hermione, causing Luna to squeal out in delight.

"See," She laughed, stopping their dance as she looked out at the sun shining down through the tree line. "I told you. The music is in your head." She smiles, tossing a piece of meat from her satchel out into the sunlight.

Ron watched with curiosity as the meat disappeared, causing his eyes to go wide. "What the bloody hell was that!" He exclaims, unable to take his eyes off of the spot where the meat had disappeared. "Was that one of those invisible horse things?!"

"Yes, it was a Threstral of course." Luna answers, as if Ron were supposed to have known that. "They really are quite gentle creatures. I wish I could show you one."

Ron nods, his eyes still wide as he stared at the spot on the ground. "Uh huh." He whimpers in fear.

"They do look rather odd though." She says, hoping she can explain them to him, since she couldn't show him. "They are oftentimes misunderstood." She says, thinking about it. "About like I would imagine you feel Ronald." She continues boldly.

"Misunderstood?" Ron asks, looking at the girl offended. "How am I misunderstood."

"Well," Luna answers, thinking about it as she threw another piece of meat out of her satchel. "Think about it. Being the youngest Weasley boy, I can see as to where your views don't get seen very much by others. Normally, they just see you as silly." Ron listened carefully as she continued. "And you really weren't the first at anything. Your brothers have all been in Quidditch or Prefects. I can see where it is hard." She says softly, "That makes you misunderstood to the world. To them you are just sloppy, inconsiderate Ronald."

Ron looked at the girl, the same girl who he had tried to deny his feelings for, her only being Looney Luna Lovegood. The same girl who he couldn't keep off of his mind despite all attempts. The same girl he had made love to next to the lake until the rain drowned them out, forcing them to run back inside to take cover, laughing about it afterwards. He couldn't believe the way she made him feel, how his favorite Christmas present this year was seeing her standing there barefoot in his mother's kitchen, flour covering her nose. The way she looked at him, the way she smelt like that familiar smell of honeysuckle in the summer sun. Something about her just brought him closer to her, despite how much he tried to fight it. "And you?" He asked nervously, "How do you see me?"

"You are Ronald, I suppose." She answered. "You are great at Quidditch and nothing like any of your brothers." She continues, unsure of what to say. "You are extraordinarily average." She says, nodding her head with the term before tilting it slightly. "Your eyes lit up, what are you thinking?" She asked, confused.

"I…" Ron bit his tongue, knowing it was too soon to say it but he had been holding in the feeling and he couldn't any longer. "I love you Luna." He says softly, blushing at his own words.

"I know. It's nice isn't it?" Luna answers, taking his hand. It didn't seem like much but for Ron, in that single moment, it was enough. She didn't have to answer back that she loved him too. For Ron, it was nice simply knowing that she knew how he felt. He sighed as he looked out into the sunlight with her.

"How many of them are there?" He asked, thinking about the Threstrals that she was feeding.

"Three," She answered softly, looking at the empty field, "Two grown ones and a baby. He can barely walk, you know. He's just now getting good on his feet."

"Things haven't been right since you left." Ron said casually. "Hermione has been getting onto me constantly, saying we belong together. Harry has his head wrapped around his new Potions book and...and I haven't been able to read what the Chudley Cannons have scored in months." He said, looking down at his feet.

"You always got upset when they lost Ronald." Luna answers, "So I made it so you wouldn't get upset anymore."

"Huh?" Ron asks, now completely confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well,' She answered as if it were obvious, "If you didn't see that they lost, you wouldn't get upset. I only took out the bad articles where they lost."

Ron couldn't help but smile at the thought. All this time while he had been dating Lavender, unable to figure out why he couldn't get a decent copy of the Daily Prophet to read about his favorite team it was Luna. It was Luna who had been trying to keep him happy even when he was with someone else. Luna who went out of her way to see that he didn't get upset. It was Luna who he had fallen in love with.

"And us?" Ron asked, finally getting up the courage to ask her. "How are we?"

"Insanely extraordinary." Luna answers back with a smile before saying the simple words that lit up Ron's world, that always seemed to bring him back for more. "You can kiss me if you like."

He didn't need to hear her say the words twice as Ron pressed his lips up to Luna's, kissing her fully. Fireworks lit up under his skin, causing it to feel electrifying as his hands ran through her hair and she pulled him closer to her. He let his lips say all the words his courage wouldn't allow him to before finally breaking the kiss.

"That was nice Ronald." She said happily. "Walk back with me?" She asked, holding out her hand as the couple headed back up to Hogwarts.

"What are we going to do? What if I have to leave to go fight Voldermort?" He asked, "Will you wait for me?"

"Of course Ronald." Luna says, staring ahead at the castle. "Even the worst of storms have to run out of rain eventually."


End file.
